“So Much More to Medicine,” a poem by Ravenna Raven
“Our constituents are uniquely affected by the pandemic,” they said. This poemee was an educational psychologist who spoke about how much they missed working in-person with med students, healthcare staff, and medical educators.
“I worry about them a lot, and I’m always thinking about how my work can support them. I have this sort of luxury being able to work from home, but my colleagues don’t. I struggle with that because I want to be there but can’t be there. I’m trying to do my best working remotely, but I miss them.”
Ravenna Raven, Listener Poet
Association of American Medical Colleges
May 2021
So Much More to Medicine
By Ravenna Raven, Listener Poet
I miss that proximity to my colleagues.
I miss connecting with med students,
patients, families, physicians, staff,
and so many people I don’t even know yet.
As a teen, I volunteered at the hospital
and in special education classrooms.
The different worlds were intriguing --
focused on supporting, helping, and serving.
In college, I grew interested in learning
about learning: what are we learning,
and what are we learning it for?
What’s the use beyond a test score?
Our medical profession is focused
on the grade, the rote outcome,
but now we’re realizing
there’s so much more to medicine
than memorization.
We need real connections
with people who offer space
to explore and discover
deep feelings and secret dreams,
who afford grace to one another,
who are caring and forgiving,
who feel restored by this
simple gift of listening,
who see beauty in art and humanity.
