Students for Humanism in Medicine

ALL E.A.R.S. (Encouraging Active Reception and Self-Reflection) is an organization at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School that:

  • Has 3 medical student directors, 4 humanism fellows, and over 100 student participants who work with the Palliative Care Team at University Hospital.
  • Aims to provide patient’s who may need or want additional social support with meaningful conversations and interactions with student volunteers.
  • Alleviate the loneliness that patients may feel when in long term care alone. Hopes to improve patient outcomes and foster a positive environment that promotes empathy and humanism by relieving patients’ suffering through social support.
  • Benefits patients and students by having conversations about non-medical topics that promote mental healing and active listening for both parties.

Community Impact:

  • We receive 20-40 patient referrals/week from the Palliative Care Team.
  • Each week, most patients are visited by at least one student or pair of students.
  • Many students visit the same patient per week if they are in long term care, while others choose to visit different patients.
  • Students can elect to see as many patients as they choose per week.
  • After each patient visit, students document the interaction and list topics discussed with each patient to encourage further conversation.
  • In the academic year 2023-2024, over 120 patient visits have been completed to date.

Project Activities

Students are recruited to participate through emails and a club fair, and after undergoing an orientation program on best conduct, students are sent a weekly list of patients who are referred to by the Palliative Care Team. In addition to weekly patient visits, the medical student directors and humanism fellows work with the Humanism Center at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and the Palliative Care at University Hospital to set up additional sessions, including reflection sessions (one per semester) and themed activity sessions (e.g. making Valentine’s Day cards). These sessions are invaluable additions to promoting humanism at NJMS and creating the next generation of kind and compassionate physicians.