Humanistic learning in medical curriculum

This paper argues for more attention and exposure to humanistic learning in the Thai medical curriculum. Humanistic learning traditionally consists of literature, history and philosophy, and is advantageous for medical education in that it tends to foster sensitivities to feelings, awareness of social traditions, and creating of skills in deliberating complex, ethical issues. These dispositions are necessary for a doctor in the world where there is an ever increasing public demand for communication, accountability and transparency on the part of doctors. It is proposed that the Thai medical curriculum should include more humanistic learning, and that medical students should be given opportunities to interact more with students from other disciplines throughout their studies and later professional life.