Catholic doctor describes her journey to practicing faith and medicine in harmony

Practicing medicine today with a Catholic worldview is no easy task. Carolyn Manhart, an internal medicine physician in Omaha, recently spoke with OSV News' Charles Camosy about how her faith came to inform her practice of medicine and why she has hope in the future of Catholic health care. Manhart serves as the medical student liaison on the board of the Fr. Edward J. Flanagan Guild of the Catholic Medical Association. She and her husband Nick have five children.

-- Charles Camosy: Can you tell us a bit about your journey in becoming a physician? How did your Catholic faith shape this journey?

-- Carolyn Manhart: When I was in grade school, my dad took us kids to visit sick friends and relatives in their homes or at the hospital.?Mom would make them homemade soup.?These visits instilled in me a desire to bring comfort to the sick.

Another formative experience was shadowing our family friend over spring break when I was in high school. Dr. Jackson was a small-town physician with a humble and gentle bedside manner. I envisioned myself as a primary care physician, caring for people as they aged.

As a (poorly catechized) second year medical student, I attended RCIA, now referred to as OCIA, to learn more about the Catholic faith. The priest taught that contraception was a moral evil, and that Catholic physicians could not prescribe hormonal contraception -- this was a shock to me!

He gave me the book "Physicians Healed," a compilation of conversion stories of physicians who had stopped prescribing hormonal contraception, and no longer performed sterilizations and even abortions. Almost every physician in the book came to Omaha to be educated in a way of regulating fertility and treating infertility at the Pope Paul VI Institute where they respected God's design for human sexuality.

"Wait," I thought. "I'm in Omaha." I then arranged a monthlong clinical experience at the Pope Paul VI Institute, which inspired me to read the encyclical "Humanae Vitae," a document that profoundly changed my life and set me on a path to more fully embrace the church's teachings on all things.

-- Camosy: You recently shared with me that thinking even more deliberately about your faith in a health?care context has helped you better care for your patients. Can you say something about this?

--Manhart: A couple of years ago, several Catholic medical students and I read your book "Losing Our Dignity." You powerfully described the abandonment of the elderly, particularly those with dementia, at the end of life. This is a growing crisis in the United States where families are small and children live far from their parents. The answer to the loss of dignity of these vulnerable people is for all of us to be family to one another as brothers and sisters in Christ.

As an internal medicine physician who cares for elderly patients, since reading your book, I am more attentive to their home situation. I am calling family members more, or asking the patient to return with a family member to get an outside perspective on how things are going. Does he or she have someone to count on in times of need?

Another way I care for my patients as they decline in health is by encouraging them to embrace the reality of their mortality. I encourage them to use the time they have to make amends, return to their faith, get rid of unnecessary possessions and to look forward to eternity. These conversations might be easier for me to bring up with them than it is for their children. As a Catholic physician, this honest conversation can be filled with hope.

-- Camosy: For many, the future of a Catholic vision of health care seems in doubt,?at least in the US. But I know from firsthand experience that you are a leader of many young Catholic medical students at the Creighton University School of Medicine. Can you share something about the next generation coming up and how you think they will serve the church and world?

-- Manhart: I have been involved with medical students both at Creighton University School of Medicine and University of Nebraska Medical Center for the last decade. I am encouraged by their solid formation and the conviction to live out their faith in their future medical practice.

They are articulate and not abrasive. Last year, some of the physicians in our Catholic Medical Association testified at the state legislature on a bill to protect physician conscience. I asked one of the medical students if she would testify with us. When I let her know her testimony would be on public record and perhaps could be held against her when she applied for future employment, she said she wanted to "shout it from the rooftops." As a side note, these Catholic medical students who are serious about their faith are delightful people to know and spend time with.

-- Camosy: There is a lot of confusion out there for many who want to get health care (for themselves or their loved ones) that is consistent with their Catholic values. Do you have any advice for them? The kinds of institutions?to consider or avoid? The kinds of questions they should ask administrators, physicians, the broader medical team, etc.?

-- Manhart: In regards to emergency care, you may end up at the closest hospital to your house due to ambulance guidelines. Thus, it's essential that you find a Health Care Power of Attorney (surrogate decision maker, HCPOA) who will honor Catholic principles in your health care. Your physician(s), even at a Catholic hospital, will likely not be familiar with the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Healthcare Services. However, I think most physicians will try to respect your wishes if they are made clear by your HCPOA. If your designated HCPOA does not know the best decision in a difficult situation, he/she can contact the National Catholic Bioethics Center to speak to an ethicist at any time.

Regarding your care in an outpatient setting, if you live in a state where assisted suicide is legal, ask your physician if he or she supports the practice. Please find a new physician if the answer is "yes."

For women who are looking for a physician who does not push hormonal contraception, the Catholic Medical Association and American Academy of Pro-Life OBGYNs have physician directories online. Ask your friends or the diocesan office if they have recommendations. You deserve to have a physician or medical professional who respects your Catholic values.