Future Doctors to become readers

A new program developed in partnership with the University of Glasgow’s School of Medicine will see more than 300 future Doctors become readers of the Human Library.

“We hope to run the program every year so all Glasgow graduates will learn how to ‘unjudge’. This will benefit not only our students but also the patients and colleagues they will encounter in their future careers. Medical students need to have a wide knowledge base that can be learnt from traditional books, but to be truly effective and compassionate doctors they need to develop more nuanced skills – communication, empathy, listening, reflection – and what better way to achieve that, than through interactions, and connections, with people and their lived experience – the human books,” says Dr. Lynsay Crawford, University Lecturer.

Equality in health care has long been a global challenge, and the pandemic has not helped improve the situation. One step towards more understanding and inclusion could be the reading exercises facing students from the University of Glasgow.