Medical Improv: Communication, Cognition, and Teamwork in Medicine

Catalog description

Medical improvisation or medical improv is an approach involving multiple narrative and communication strategies including role play, peer feedback and reflection. Medical improvisation can be used to enhance awareness and develop skills for improving communication with patients, families, teams or across disciplines; demonstrating empathy; and considering differences of race, ethnicity, gender, ability, culture and other social determinants of health and health care delivery. This approach adapts theater improvisation techniques and skills to medical education and the larger arena of health care and contributes to students' exploration of the concepts of narrative health care and medical humanities. Students will participate in interactive in-class exercises in pairs or small groups and debrief in small group discussion to reflect on the application of the selected improvisation exercises to health care. Prerequisites CLMDG 1516: Humanity in Medicine