WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE PHYSICIAN IN RELIGIOUS SPACES AT THE END OF LIFE?

Abstract

Through her own experiences with death and religion, Reines explores the value of developing a personal perspective on the role of religious belief in end-of-life spaces for personal and professional growth. Reevaluating the oaths physicians make to patients, especially the Hippocratic Oath, is an important step toward self-determining your scope of care as a physician. By learning concepts and skills from the humanities early on in medical education, we can evaluate the promises we are making to our patients and the realistic impact we can have on their health experiences during and at the end of life. Courses offered in the Health and Human Values minor and the Public and Applied Humanities at the University of Arizona challenge pre-health students to evaluate current healthcare systems and consider the complexity of the concept of health. Reflecting on religious pluralism in the United States, Reines will explore community resources available to healthcare providers for improving end-of-life care as it relates to personal religious beliefs. Reines submitted the following paper to a student essay competition at the Conference on Medicine and Religion and was invited to present her work at the Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio during March 2023. Presentation slides from Reines’ conference presentation have been attached at the end of this document