Medical Improv to Enhance Communication Skills for Clinicians
The practice in healthcare demands excellent communication, intellect, and interpersonal skills in order to respond effectively in unpredictable situations while interacting with a wide variety of individuals. Medical Improv is an emerging field in which the principles and training techniques of improvisational theater are used to improve spontaneous thinking, communication, and teamwork in the practice of medicine. Improvisational skills have a substantial overlap with those required of clinicians. The main principles of the discipline include empathy, adaptability, collaboration, and skilled listening. The aims of this project were to use the principles and techniques of improvisational theater to foster: • Cognitive capacity and flexibility needed to evaluate and acquire reliable clinical information. • Ability to actively and generously observe and listen to another. • Ability to communicate empathically with others in order to create an environment in which she or he feels safe, satisfied and heard. The goal is to offer 6 to 8 free workshops yearly over two years.
- 2017