Word count: 1000-1400

Narrative medicine is a form of storytelling in medicine.  It is an outlet for those in the healthcare field to reflect on patient experiences, and the dynamics of the patient-physician relationship.

This year, SMJ is inviting students to submit narrative medicine articles that reflect on a patient encounter that has impacted your perspective on the patient experience, on healthcare delivery, or on the student-patient relationship.

In developing your narrative medicine article, we would encourage you to ask: “How has my experience changed my perspective of medicine, changed my perspective as a student doctor, or changed my perspective of the patient experience?”

We will assess submissions based on: 1) quality of writing 2) evidence of self-reflection and 3) evidence of insights elicited from engaging in the practice of narrative medicine.  Please keep all patient names anonymous.

For examples of how to write a narrative medicine article, we suggest reviewing the JAMA submissions, such as “A Piece of My Mind” by Jessi Humphreys, MD. Link here: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2778108