Friday 11 March 2016

Ignoring "Soft Skills" & Moral Injury

     "Soft skills" like communication, deep listening, bed-side manner, empathy, professionalism, mindfulness etc are considered a joke in the hidden curriculum and are basically ignored by students & faculty alike in university education: http://healthyhealers.blogspot.ca/search?q=soft
     When students or graduate health-care professionals are caught committing unprofessional acts, everyone is shocked. The dust settles, and "soft skills" continue to be ignored.

     Interesting lessons from the military:
     “If military practice tells soldiers that their emotions of love and grief – which are inseparable from their humanity – do not matter, then the civilian society that has sent them to fight on their behalf should not be shocked by their ‘inhumanity’ when they try to return to civilian life.”

     “… moral injury is an essential part of any combat trauma that leads to lifelong psychological injury. Veterans can usually recover from horror, fear, and grief once they return to civilian life, so long as ‘what’s right’ has not also been violated.” 
       Jonathan Shay. “Achilles in Vietnam. Combat Trauma and the Undoing of Character.” Scribner, NY, 1994.

     Parents spend less & less quality time with their children; schools are forbidden to teach kids basic manners or morals; CEOs, clergy & politicians are progressively losing respect & credibility. These are fundamental violations of what’s right
     Meanwhile rappers, reality stars & dysfunctional sports & movie stars are default role models. Young adults are explicitly exposed to & socialized by the lowest of cultural norms. See: http://healthyhealers.blogspot.ca/2013/01/larger-homes-more-exotic-trips-fancier.html This openly invites people to contravene basic, innate, implicit human codes of conduct, causing moral injury to everyone, victims & perps alike.

     When do we start taking "soft skills" seriously enough to teach them explicitly?

     "Moral Injury": http://healthyhealers.blogspot.ca/2017/01/what-is-moral-injury.html

      "Worldview - Maturity Level - Impacts": http://jglovas.wix.com/awarenessnow#!Worldview-Maturity-Effects/c17jj/56e5715b0cf27db4b02a4011