There are so many ways that we communicate each day: Face to face (well, mask to mask!), over the phone, by text, through email. But how can we make those – and other – communications more personable, more effective, and more impactful?
Dr. Sarah de Leeuw, PhD, writer, thinker, and all-around phenomenal teacher, recently led 40 Victoria-area physicians through a workshop on Narrative Medicine: As a professor at the UBC School of Medicine, she teaches students best practices in clinical interactions as well as writing and communication as a therapeutic modality for their own wellness.
Two of her residents, Mona Maleki and Mei Wen, co-facilitated the workshop, enabling small groups to share stories with each other, take part in reflective writing exercises, and think about communication in a different way.
Thanks to this workshop, local physicians are changing how they approach clinical notes: Not as a boring chore, but as a way of both telling a story and as a therapeutic exercise for themselves. They’re also writing on their own a bit more, taking time to reflect and care for themselves.
So keep your eyes open on your incoming referral letters or consult reports…they might look and feel a bit different!
Thanks to this session, we’re hoping to put together a virtual Physician Writing Group, meeting up monthly. Interested? Let us know!