PHRONESIS PROJECT
University of Virginia School of Medicine
Phronesis Curriculum
The Phronesis Project focuses on professional identity formation, organized around the conceptual framework of wisdom. Our educational goal is to foster our capacity for wisdom development, setting the stage for wisdom development throughout our careers.
Longitudinal Patient Care
The Phronesis Project is designed so that all of your learning takes place within the context of patient care. In August, you will be assigned an adult University Medical Associates (UMA) patient and in January, a pediatric patient. Typically, both patients will be medically complex, affording you the opportunity to see the health care system from many vantage points and to learn many aspects of patient care. You will participate in your patients’ care throughout your four years of medical school.
CPD
Students meet with their Phronesis mentors for the weekly CPD sessions. At the start of each CPD session, we devote approximately 15 minutes to one of the following: (1) reflective practice; (2) narrative medicine; or (3) patient-related activities. Phronesis Student Directed Learning (SDL) topics in the CPD sessions will have a general focus on the physician’s role in society to foster the greater good.
Portfolios
All of your Phronesis materials throughout the four years will be kept as a portfolio. Natalie May will store your portfolios in her office, although you are encouraged to keep your own electronic and/or hard copy. The portfolio includes everything – patient logs, narrative interviews, reflective writings, and SIM essays.
Mindfulness & Reflective Practices
Reflection is an important component of wisdom development. We will learn and practice a variety of techniques throughout the Phronesis Project. Susanna Williams has put together a sequence of mindfulness skills that she will be teaching this year. You may access this list here, including a link to the UVA Mindfulness Center for recorded meditations you will need for home practice.
Phronesis Workshops
We meet in monthly workshops throughout the year, opportunities for us to delve deeply into topics that we believe will help you grow in your role as a physician. All Phronesians in your class will meet together, and whenever possible, your mentors, too. To learn more about the workshops, check out the syllabus for your year -- click on a box below. Attendance in the workshops is required, and you will find the pre- and post-workshop assignments on your syllabus.
Social Issues in Medicine
Phronesis students are not required to participate in community setting placements. You will learn about the role of community programs through your advocacy work with your patients and their families. However, you will be required to attend SIM workshops and submit the SIM reflective writing assignments that have been modified for Phronesians. To visit the SIM web page, click here.
SYLLABI:
