Time-Limited Sensitivity Groups for Medical Students
STEPHEN S. DASHEF M.D.1,
WILLIAM M. ESPEY M.D.2, , and
JEREMY A. LAZARUS M.D.2
1 Staff Psychiatrist, National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Md. 20014, and Clinical Instructor, Department of Psychiatry, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, D.C.
2 Clinical Instructors, Veterans Administration Hospital and Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Medical Center, Denver, Colo., and is also in private practice
Dehumanizing trends in medical education have been reported and discussed extensively. In response to this problem, the opportunity to join a voluntary, time-limited, unstructured sensitivity group was offered to medical students during their clinical rotation in psychiatry. These groups proved to be safe forums for experiential education in which students could increase their capacity to respond sensitively to themselves and others. This paper describes three phases of the group process, the role of the group leader, and the reactions of the participating students.
