Dr. Dominic Vachon: Compassion Training for Pre-Meds

Dr. Dominic Vachon joins Marcus to talk compassion training for future clinicians. They discuss Dominic’s early life and his discernment to enter the helping professions as a medical psychologist. They talk about the Ruth Hillebrand Center for Compassionate Care in Medicine at the University of Notre Dame, about the Compassionate Care in Medicine minor and how the science of compassion actually works. Marcus shares how framing student stories with Narrative Medicine helps to connect individuals to their original reasons for pursuing a career in medicine and Dominic shares his own story about burnout. They also discuss Dominic’s book, “How Doctors Care” and how it is the first textbook on compassion science.  Key topics:[2:54] How life led Dr. Dominic Vachon into his current work [6:25] The two sides of suffering and compassion in medicine[10:33] The amazing, compassionate work of the Ruth M. Hillebrand Center for Compassionate Care in Medicine at the University of Notre Dame[14:52] The different classes offered within the Compassionate Care in Medicine Minor[19:04] The way the public views doctors and their compassion[21:34] What we know about compassion as a science[26:09] Why leaning into compassion makes sense when feeling burnout and compassion fatigue[31:02] How Dr. Vachon worked through his personal experience of burnout[38:26] How wisdom can be relayed through the use of story telling [41:43] What piece of art would Dr. Vachon take with him on a desert island?[44:48] How would Dr. Vachon choose to spend $100 if it had to be spent on himself?[50:15] What is Dr. Vachon’s message to humanity? Resources for you:Read “How Doctors Care: The Science of Compassionate and Balanced Caring in Medicine”: https://bit.ly/HowDoctorsCare-VachonRead Dr. Vachon’s 2022 book, “The Power & Pain of Nursing”: https://amzn.to/3wqAA56Learn more about the Ruth Hillebrand Center for Compassionate Care in Medicine: https://compassionatecare.nd.edu/Connect with Dr. Vachon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominic-vachon-7597b633/Connect with Marcus on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcusengel/ About Dr. Dominic Vachon:Dominic Vachon, M.Div., Ph.D., is the John G. Sheedy M.D. Director of the Ruth M. Hillebrand Center for Compassionate Care in Medicine in the College of Science at the University of Notre Dame. He is also a professor of practice in the Preprofessional Studies Department, where he teaches courses in compassionate care in medicine, medical counseling skills, and spiritualities of caring in the helping professions. He is author of the book, “How Doctors Care: The Science of Compassionate and Balanced Caring in Medicine” just published by Cognella Press in 2020; he is also a co-author of “The Power & Pain of Nursing” published in 2022. Dr. Vachon has devoted the last 25 years of his professional career to supporting and training physicians, residents, medical students, premedical students, nurses, and other clinicians in patient communication skills as well as dealing with burnout and the recovery of compassionate care in the inner lives of clinicians. For more on Dr. Vachon’s  bio, please visit https://compassionatecare.nd.edu/people/.Date: 05/23/2022Name of show: Compassion & Courage: Conversations in HealthcareEpisode 51 – Dr. Dominic Vachon: Compassion Training for Pre-Meds