Healthcare is Human
Since 2020, Healthcare is Human (HIH) has been telling authentic healthcare stories.
Dr. Ryan McCarthy created HIH in Martinsburg, WV, to give voice to individuals who were under-represented as the Covid-19 pandemic began. Since then, HIH has grown exponentially and is now a complex narrative medicine initiative. Writer, poet, and narrative medicine expert Renée K. Nicholson co-hosts the podcast.
Molly Humphreys, native of Shepherdstown, WV, photographer on the project, has captured hundred of images of healthcare workers in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. Visit HIH on Facebook and Instagram to see these incredible photos . Molly's world class portfolio can be found by searching for Piccadilly Posh.
Kym Mattioli produces the podcast.
HIH is supported by grants from the West Virginia Humanities Council, WVU Foundation, and generous donors across West Virginia.
Our first exhibit "Wild, Wonderful and Brave: Fighting the Pandemic in the Eastern Panhandle" ran at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley in Winchester, VA, from June 2022-June 2023.
Our most recent exhibit was in the Pylons Commons at the Robert C. Byrd Health Science Center in Morgantown, WV, feom September 2023 through June 2024. Dozens of the best photographs were featured alongside poetry by Marc Harshman, Torli Bush, Renée K. Nicholson, and Randi Ward. Our companion film, HEALTHCARE IS HUMAN, directed by Corwyn “Cory” Garman, can be viewed inside the William A. Neal Museum.
Original music for our films and museum exhibitions is composed by Robert Sears and Jared Sims. Isaac McCarthy plays the banjo on the podcast.
Healthcare is Human has been featured in 100 Days in Appalachia, West Virginia Public Radio, Synapsis, INSider, KevinMD, and the Gold Foundation.
A book is in development as is HIH curricula at the West Virginia University School of Medicine. HIH is a signature program of the WVU Internal Medicine Residency at the Berkeley Medical Center in Martinsburg, WV.
Find us on TED.com to hear our origin story.
Healthcare is Human
Internal Medicine Residency - Amanda Donnelly RN
Healthcare is Human: Internal Medicine Residency, Amanda Donnelly RN
In this episode we meet Amanda Donnelly RN, an experienced nurse who plays a critical role in the daily operations of the primary care clinic at the WVU Internal Medicine Residency, Berkeley Medical Center, in Martinsburg, WV.
“My husband was in the military and, as a result, we don't live near our family. So, I have adopted these patients as my aunts, uncles, and grandparents. Individualized care is really important because, even though we're dealing with patients who are 80 or 90 years old, you're also dealing with their daughters, sons, nieces, nephews and siblings. It's a big spectrum and you have to take these fast-paced roles and slow it down for patients, simplifying things, helping patients prioritize their care. The golden rule: take care of them like they're your family.”
“I think it's very important to understand and connect with our patients, letting them know that you're coming from a good place with a good heart as a servant leader. I'm inspired by the “butterfly effect.” That is, when you have people around you that allow you to spread your wings, you do exactly that.”
“I hope to instill this in our internal medicine residents because, at the end of the day, they need to be great to our patients. Healthcare is always changing; you have to change with it. We can become stagnant in the nursing world, comfortable in our role. I came in here with seventeen years of OB-GYN experience and I took the initiative to earn the trust and gain the respect of our patients.”
This episode features the poem “Postcards From the Old World” read by its author, Renée K. Nicholson. You can learn more about Renée and her poetry by visiting http://www.reneenicholson.com/
Music written and performed by Robert Sears.
Healthcare is Human was created by Ryan McCarthy and is a signature program of the Internal Medicine Residency at the Berkeley Medical Center in Martinsburg, WV.
This podcast is engineered by Kym Mattioli.
Visit Healthcare is Human on Facebook and Instagram to see incredible photography by Molly Humphreys, native of Shepherdstown, WV. You can find more of her world-class portfolio by searching for Piccadilly Posh Photography.
Healthcare is Human is supported by the West Virginia Humanities Council, WVU Medicine, WVU Foundation, Freedom’s Run Foundation, and generous donors in our community.
Isaac McCarthy (PhD candidate, Ohio State University) plays the banjo to open and close the show.
Healthcare is Human is featured on TED.com, KevinMD, Synapsis, The Gold Foundation, Narrative Mindworks, American Public Health Association, West Virginia Public Broadcasting, and 100 Days in Appalachia.
#healthcareishuman
Be sure to visit Healthcare is Human on Facebook and Instagram. If you have a great idea for a podcast, we would love to hear from you.
