I would like to add my thanks to Stephen and Dana for continuing the dialogue.

I regularly introduce ideas about spirituality and medicine during my two week
rotation with all second year residents and with 3rd year med students who are
here for their family medicine clerkships. Yesterday one of the med students
(Dana will be interested to know that they are from MUSC in Charleston) said
that in their training, introducing a spiritual element into history taking
seemed to be the normal course of things for the faculty. They assumed it had
always been so. I told them that it had not always been so and that some would
be gratified to know that that was now the norm. Others in Charleston may be
surprised to hear that.

I find a generally upward trend in the level of acceptance of these ideas and
willingness to incorporate them into practice. Not very many compliments or
criticisms. Several residents have incorporated spirituality into their
research projects in recent years, so the entire group has been exposed to
colleagues who are actively engaged.

A group of us is working to develop a statewide curriculum and to incorporate
some the literature and teaching strategies into a faculty development workshop
for all eight family medicine residencies this spring.

Anxious to continue the conversation.

Stuart Sprague



_______________________________

Stuart R. Sprague, PhD
AnMed Family Practice Residency
600 N. Fant St.
Anderson, SC 29621
ssprague@...
864-261-1935 voice
864-260-3702 fax