you are not the treatment.
"Sarah has this distinct ability to keep
her finger on the pulse of the world".
“Sarah navigates waters few can tread.
She makes an impact on everyone she meets".
"Her fight is full of
grace and humility".
Dear Intern. She is a Master's and Doctoral Candidate of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Sarah uses the principles of Narrative Medicine and storytelling to advocate for herself and her peers. She is a survivor of sexual assault in her early 20s and sexual harassment within a clinical setting - and experienced the fallout of institutional betrayal, anxiety, depression, and PTSD as a result. Her advocacy rises out of these deeply personal experiences.
With nearly 90% of her Doctoral research completed, Sarah halted her year-long pursuit of developing Narrative Chinese Medicine to focus her research on intern safety, equality, and professional ethics.
In the final year of her graduate program, Sarah has advocated for policy change at the institutional and national level, fought for the “persona non grata” status of a John Doe patient, raised educational and ethical training standards, and participated in a 6-week-long Vow of Silence protest, sparking a necessary and candid dialogue.
Dear Intern is a survivor-led social action organization that works to ensure that student interns in acupuncture schools are protected. This includes addressing sexual harassment and assault within school clinics, as well as ensuring that students have equal access to educational opportunities regardless of their gender identity or recognized disabilities.
Dear Intern provides resources, support, and advocacy for students who have experienced discrimination or harassment - whether gender or disability based - and works with acupuncture schools to create policies and procedures that promote a safe and inclusive learning environment. Our goal is to raise the ethical standards of our profession - with an emphasis on educational reform.
Acupuncture institutions, and the clinical supervisors that represent them, must be trauma-informed, student-centered, and undergo professional development training that a post ”me too” world demands.
INSTITUTIONAL
ACCOUNTABILITY
OUR VALUES
POLICY
STUDENT - CENTERED
POLICY CHANGE
TRANSPARENCY THAT
INFORMS CLINICAL TRAINING
NARRATIVE APPROACHES TO HEALING
SURVIVOR - CENTERED SOLUTIONS
Dear intern,
Your safety comes first.
Your education comes second.
Patient care comes third.
This is still patient-centered care.
You took an oath to do no harm. This oath extends to you, dear intern.
Your personality is not the treatment.
Your appearance is not the treatment.
Your touch is not the treatment.
Know the boundaries of the medicine.
Know where our medicine begins. Know where it ends.
More importantly, know the boundaries of your caregiving.
Don’t just know these things
- respect these things - uphold these things - insist on these things, dear intern.
Your professionalism is not aloofness.
Your boundaries are not disinterest.
Trust your instincts. Trust your sense of knowing.
All I ask of you, dear intern, is to draw the line and hold the line.
Your safety matters, dear intern.
As a newly established social initiative,
we are in need of your support:
Financial assistance: funding, benefactors, grants.
Know people of influence? Connect us!
Acupuncturists, administrators, social workers, clinic supervisors, or student interns - help inform policy!
If you are a survivor, know that we are here for you. Share your story with us in whatever way feels comfortable.
dearinternyoumatter@gmail.com
Sarah Siegel • LinkedIn