Stewarding the Vulnerable Moments (with Dr. Audrey Shafer)

What is it like to comfort patients in the moments before they surrender consciousness to undergo surgery? What can the humanities teach us about being present for a patient when they are at their most vulnerable? As an anesthesiologist and founding director of Medicine and the Muse, Stanford Medicine’s health humanities program, Dr. Audrey Shafer has spent her career pondering and addressing these questions. In this episode, Dr. Shafer discusses how her exploits in the humanities have shaped her career in medicine, gives us an intimate and vivid picture of the vital work anesthesiologists do, and shares what her recent personal experiences with cancer have taught her about what it means to truly care for patients.In this episode, you will hear about:How growing up in an artistic household initially pushed Dr. Shafer away from the arts and toward a medical career - 1:51Why Dr. Shafer chose to become an anesthesiologist - 5:51Dr. Shafer’s discovery of the medical humanities and how she would later create the first program of its type at Stanford Medicine - 8:57A discussion of what the medical humanities are and a defense of its value - 12:00Reflections on the profound privilege of being an anesthesiologist and a medical educator - 17:45A behind-the-scenes look at an anesthesiologist’s work - 25:02Dr. Shafer’s recent cancer diagnosis and her treatment journey - 34:29Advice for clinicians and medical students about seeing patients’ illnesses within the greater context of their lives - 41:15Follow Dr. Shafer on Twitter @AudreyShafer.You can peruse the Literature Arts & Medicine magazine here.Visit our website www.TheDoctorsArt.com where you can find transcripts of all episodes.If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review our show, available for free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you know of a doctor, patient, or anyone working in health care who would love to explore meaning in medicine with us on the show, feel free to leave a suggestion in the comments or send an email to [email protected] The Doctor’s Art Podcast 2022