Spiritual but Not Religious: Learning to Care for the “Nones” through an Observed Structured Clinical Encounter (OSCE)
Nathan Asif, Joanne Lee, Joshua Oommen, Taylor Henry, Saul Barcelo, Leanna Lee, Amy Hayton, MD, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Loma Linda, CA
Demographic data shows that the fastest-growing religious group in the US may be those who are “post-religious.” Individuals are increasingly de-identifying themselves from a religious affiliation, i.e., being a “none.” This number has ballooned to about 30% nationwide. Physicians—who may find themselves in this new group—may wonder how to best interact with these patients without the structure or familiarity of religious categories.
A newly developed OSCE script mimics the non-religious vocabulary used by “Nones” that describes contextually spiritual needs, including purpose in suffering, anxiety about the future, and feeling connected to a broader community. The learner discovers various opportunities throughout the patient interaction to respond to unfamiliar answers to traditionally religious questions and connect over unique struggles that a “None” patient may feel, such as coping with the loss of religious support and finding new ways to cope with suffering without previous religious narratives. These issues are brought to the forefront of the patient encounter as the patient makes sense of a new medical diagnosis. Much like how learners may be tempted to over-rely on medical jargon to explain a diagnosis to a patient, so too can the spiritually sensitive clinician over-rely on traditional religious vocabulary that alienates those who seek to make sense of their spiritual needs outside of traditional organized religion.
In this panel, students and faculty from Loma Linda University share their experiences developing and participating in a new OSCE that allows second-year medical students to engage in spiritual care conversations with those who may not identify as religious.
A School of Religion faculty member who teaches Whole Person Care will briefly describe the introduction and background students get before taking the OSCE. Two third- and fourth-year students from the Loma Linda University Spiritual Care certificate track who helped write the case will describe their process and desire to equip their classmates to care for this group of patients. A second-year medical student who partook in the OSCE this fall will share her experience, and her faculty mentor will discuss their debrief afterward. A third-year chaplaincy student, who served as an OSCE standardized patient, will also reflect on her experience. The School of Medicine dean who oversees the curriculum at our institution will review the data and the impact of this OSCE on our culture and overall learning objectives.
A newly developed OSCE script mimics the non-religious vocabulary used by “Nones” that describes contextually spiritual needs, including purpose in suffering, anxiety about the future, and feeling connected to a broader community. The learner discovers various opportunities throughout the patient interaction to respond to unfamiliar answers to traditionally religious questions and connect over unique struggles that a “None” patient may feel, such as coping with the loss of religious support and finding new ways to cope with suffering without previous religious narratives. These issues are brought to the forefront of the patient encounter as the patient makes sense of a new medical diagnosis. Much like how learners may be tempted to over-rely on medical jargon to explain a diagnosis to a patient, so too can the spiritually sensitive clinician over-rely on traditional religious vocabulary that alienates those who seek to make sense of their spiritual needs outside of traditional organized religion.
In this panel, students and faculty from Loma Linda University share their experiences developing and participating in a new OSCE that allows second-year medical students to engage in spiritual care conversations with those who may not identify as religious.
A School of Religion faculty member who teaches Whole Person Care will briefly describe the introduction and background students get before taking the OSCE. Two third- and fourth-year students from the Loma Linda University Spiritual Care certificate track who helped write the case will describe their process and desire to equip their classmates to care for this group of patients. A second-year medical student who partook in the OSCE this fall will share her experience, and her faculty mentor will discuss their debrief afterward. A third-year chaplaincy student, who served as an OSCE standardized patient, will also reflect on her experience. The School of Medicine dean who oversees the curriculum at our institution will review the data and the impact of this OSCE on our culture and overall learning objectives.