How CLOSLER Has Improved My Care of Patients: A Five-Year Retrospective

Around the late spring of 2019, I was hungrily searching for inspiring reading to feed my growing passion for learning to connect more deeply with patients and fine-tune my relational doctoring skills. It didn’t take long to discover CLOSLER, a growing repository of thoughtful and experiential stories about clinical excellence written by healthcare professionals at all career-stages, from pre-med to seasoned clinician. I’d stumbled upon a veritable goldmine of touching anecdotes, enlightening vignettes, book reviews, and advice for both improving my clinical care and making the most of down time. 

Soon after making this wonderful discovery, I started contributing some of my own writing to the site, which was met with warmth, interest, and constructive feedback. Gradually, I felt like I’d become part of a unique learning community of colleagues who are all striving to develop skills, enjoy medical practice, and take excellent care of patients. And now, as a member of the CLOSLER editorial team, I’ve had the privilege of collaborating with the great educators, writers, and thought leaders who created this extraordinary creative and meaningful venue. 

There’s no question that CLOSLER has improved my care of patients. I’ve learned about the power of presence and active listening, gained tips on managing conditions less familiar to me, improved my skills at navigating challenging conversations, and accumulated a bountiful collection of ideas for re-energizing myself. Alongside these learnings has been constant inspiration to reflect, tell my personal stories, and share transformative lessons. Most importantly, I’ve been enriched by the friendship, wisdom, and support of this special organization. I am most grateful.