ERIC Number: EJ1475959
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Jul
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1935-9772
EISSN: EISSN-1935-9780
Available Date: 2025-05-27
Empathy and Cultural Humility: Caribbean Medical Students' Experience in Taiwan's Silent Teacher Family Interviews
Anatomical Sciences Education, v18 n7 p629-641 2025
International medical students at I-Shou University's School of Medicine for International Students (SMIS) receive Taiwan government-funded scholarships to cultivate skilled and compassionate medical professionals from the Caribbean, Central America, and the Pacific Islands. This study examines the meaningful impact of Caribbean medical students' participation in interviews with the families of silent teachers, a central element of Taiwan's distinctive approach to anatomical education. Through these interviews, students were exposed to the deeply personal narratives of body donors, such as their life stories, motivations for donation, and their values, such as altruism, family devotion, and reverence for life. These interactions offered the students a rare opportunity to bridge the gap between technical medical training and healthcare's emotional, ethical, and cultural dimensions. This study examines reflective practices' impact on Caribbean medical students' development during interactions with Silent Teacher donors. Reflective narratives from 28 culturally diverse students were analyzed using thematic analysis. The experience enhanced the students' understanding of the significance of body donation in Taiwanese society, which contrasts with more anonymous approaches in Western medical education. As a result, international students commented on key professional attributes, including cultural humility, empathy, and a stronger ethical awareness. The family interviews allowed students to engage in the human aspect of medicine, reinforcing the importance of compassionate care and emotional intelligence in their future medical practice. This program is a meaningful model for integrating humanistic and ethical learning into the curriculum, especially for international students, fostering their growth into well-rounded, culturally aware, and empathetic physicians.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Foreign Students, Medical Students, Student Experience, Medical Education, Anatomy, Teaching Methods, Clinical Experience, Personal Narratives, Human Body, Donors, Biographies, Altruism, Family Relationship, Life Satisfaction, Psychological Patterns, Ethics, Cultural Awareness, Reflection, Empathy, Emotional Intelligence, Humanistic Education, Ethical Instruction, Holistic Approach
Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Caribbean; Taiwan
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1Department of Emergency Medicine, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan; 2School of Medicine, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan; 3School of Medicine for International Students, College of Medicine, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan