The Spokane County Medical Society’s (SCMS) Medical Education Committee is pleased to announce this year’s three $500 award winners for their “Beyond the Clinical Encounter” Art, Poetry & Essay Contest held in March, with prizes generously funded by the Spokane County Medical Society Foundation. 

The Medical Education Committee (MEC) hosted its 4th annual arts and humanities contest in a continuing effort to help promote wellness and social wellbeing among our Spokane medical/PA students and residents, receiving 10 submissions this year. This contest is one way to show these individuals the supportive nature of the Spokane Medical Community, allowing for a platform to engage all the schools involved in UME and GME that exist in the community.

All current Spokane-based medical residents, medical students and physician assistant students were invited to submit an entry by February 15, 2024, on the topic of “Beyond the Clinical Encounter” in one of three categories: Best Poem, Best Essay, and Best Image (unpublished original art, photograph, or video). The winning entries were chosen by the committee’s contest judging panel and were blinded to the entrants’ names and programs. 

Best Poem “Beyond the Clinical Encounter: A Day in the ICU” winner Sophie Sha, MD, provided insight on her inspiration for her entry. "This poem drew from my experiences working in the ICU this past year,” she stated. “I remember all the sights, sounds, and emotions from that rotation so clearly. I witnessed incredible sadness and loss, but also experienced the beauty of hope and empathy during some of the toughest times of my patients' lives."

Alison White, MS4, Best Essay “Chicken Parmesan: A Reflection on Narrative Medicine in Training” winner, acknowledged, “In my own training, the most impactful moments have been those in which my patients share their own life experiences with me – even when they have nothing to do with their chief concern. I hope that this essay captures the awe and gratitude I have for my patients in their moments of vulnerability and continues to remind me (and others) that the patient’s personal narrative is just as important as the story of their illness."

“Within the walls of the hospital or the clinic or the [insert healthcare delivery environment of your choice], it is often simplest (and necessary) to focus on what our roles are in that setting,” stressed Christa Prentiss, MD, Best Image winner. “As a resident, I find that it can be far too easy to view people I care for and work with as the sum of some of their lowest lows and highest highs precipitated by routinely pressurized circumstances. However, for most of us, deliverers and recipients of medical care alike, who we are is predominantly defined beyond these encounters. With this piece, I wanted to show a slice of life that we experience on a regular basis: namely, procuring groceries.”

“The members of the contest judging panel were moved and impressed by the heartfelt words and images expressed in all the submissions,” stated committee chair Dr. Geoff Jones, “but selected the entries which most closely captured the essence of the goals of the contest.”

We’re pleased to present all submissions in the SCMS "Beyond the Clinical Encounter" Art, Poetry and Essay Contest flipbook HERE.