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The path toward finding a deeper meaning in providing patient care within academic medicine and the intangibles that make us human, such as vulnerability, passion, and post-traumatic growth, is explored in this week’s edition of the Faculty Factory episode with our guest, Nicole Piemonte, PhD.
Dr. Piemonte serves as the Associate Dean for Faculty Leadership and is a Clinical Associate Professor of Medical Humanities at Creighton University School of Medicine-Phoenix in Arizona. She is also an author and a Certified Healthcare Leadership Coach.
Through her own experiences with end-of-life care, coupled with her background in medical humanities, Dr. Piemonte shares her perspective on the ongoing challenges of how clinicians can engage authentically with vulnerability.
She notes, “It is much easier to teach a technician than to train a healer who can be present with suffering—especially suffering that is existential, spiritual, or emotional. I have dedicated much of my work to thinking about ways to cultivate vulnerability safely for our clinicians so that they are prepared for the realities of healthcare.”
In her insightful reflections, Dr. Piemonte discusses the emotional and spiritual sensitivity needed to navigate suffering and create a healing environment. Given the complexities of modern healthcare systems and the demands of a career in academic medicine, this journey becomes even more challenging, requiring intentional training and learning.