Medical school is demanding, but at the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine, students are never alone in their journey. KPSOM is dedicated to fostering a supportive learning environment and providing resources that help students navigate the rigors of medical education while maintaining their well-being. Among these is a special group of four-legged friends who offer a moment of calm, quiet support, and a much-needed break from daily pressures.
Paws for Love is a troupe of volunteer therapy dogs and their human handlers from Kaiser Permanente. In addition to their normal duties comforting patients, doctors, nurses, and children at the Woodland Hills Medical Center, these canine confidants have been visiting KPSOM several times a year to spend time with students, offering a moment or two of stress relief.
“I come here every time I see the therapy dogs on the calendar,” said student Matthew Fisher. “I make it a priority. It just kind of pulls you out of medicine for a little bit. It’s especially fun because sometimes we see some of these same dogs in the hospital when we’re on rotations, and then we see them here, helping us out. They’re just so happy to be here, and so full of life, and it just makes us a little more full of life too.”
“It’s really nice,” said student Suzannah Henderson. “I grew up with dogs always around. I haven’t had a dog of my own as an adult, so it’s nice to come and be outside and spend time with the dogs. They don’t know what’s going on; they don’t know we have a test coming up. They’re just here, being themselves. So, this is a nice stress reliever. It just encourages me to relax [and] helps you be a bit more present, focusing on the animal in front of you, taking you out of whatever worries you have.”
