SuppoRTT: Medical Improv: Refresh your on-your-feet communication skills + get your mental sharpness back (RTT28SEP23b)

This course has been designed for supported return to training trainees only who are due to return or have recently returned to Training. Please DO NOT book if you do not meet this criteria.

Online bookings close 1 week prior to the course date but bookings can be made by emailing supportt.yh@hee.nhs.uk.

You can cancel your place online up to 1 week prior to the course, cancellations within the last week must be sent via email to supportt.yh@hee.nhs.uk

Why try medical improv?

An extended period of time away from clinical work can leave healthcare professionals feeling overwhelmed by the thought of returning: the relentless pace, responsibility and attentional demands of clinical work can feel daunting.

Prolonged absence from work can also leave doctors lacking confidence in navigating the unpredictability of consultations, to think on-their-feet and respond with empathy, deep attention and sound reasoning.

Medical improv is an experiential teaching approach that provides a safe space for doctors returning to work following prolonged absence to practice the foundational communication skills they use when communicating with patients and colleagues (active listening, deep attention, responding in the moment, connecting with others) without the pressure of jumping straight into high-stakes situations.

As doctor and applied improv researcher Belinda Fu says,

‘The practice of medicine is intrinsically unpredictable. Clinicians must respond skillfully to this uncertainty.’

Medical improv consists of a series of low-stakes interactive activities, adapted for the unique challenges doctors face, that help doctors refine this ability to be present, assess the moment, adapt, and help create shared understanding and progress.

The insights from medical improv aren’t only useful in the moment. They last, and they make a difference in practice: In one three-year study at the University of Michigan Medical School, six out of seven medical improv students reported using at least one improv skill in their ward-based work three months after the course.

Medical improv workshops aren’t lectures – they’re interactive workshops, with ample opportunities to laugh, connect, debrief and share perspectives on returning to work.

The low-stakes, interactive exercises are followed by debriefs, facilitated by a GP and medical educator with expertise in communication in consultation, that help you feel more connected and supported by peers who often share similar anxieties about returning to work, ‘feeling rusty’, and are unsure of their ability to contribute meaningfully when they return.

The workshop is designed to not only help you refresh and update you ability to communicate and listen on their feet, but also to be together again, to connect with peers and feel a greater sense of community support, and to help you make sense of the complex feelings and experiences that come with returning to work.

Mandatory: zSuppoRTT Trainee

Provide supportive, interactive learning workshops for doctors returning to clinical practice, with an emphasis on refreshing and improving their communication skills within the ‘unpredictable aspects of consultation,’ as well as providing opportunities to connect with and learn from their peers’ insights and experiences.

· Guide doctors through low-stakes ‘applied improvisation’ group activities and exercises, appropriate for each of the two learning workshops: ‘connecting with others’ and ‘listening, attention, and focus – responding in the moment’

· Facilitate peer debriefs for each activity, creating opportunities for reflection, peer learning and practical strategies for applying the skills in practice.

· Share brief micro-talks on key learning concepts from ‘applied medical improv’ and best practice in clinical communication, with Q&A and small group discussion.

· Facilitate small group coaching for trainees to enable them to put insights from the workshops into practice upon their return to work.

· Meeting in-person, in a third space comfortable environment over multiple days enables greater informal interaction and increases the possibility of forming new peer relationships that last beyond the workshops, giving trainees access to new peer support networks.

The workshops will help you from work by:

· Refreshing their communication skills

· Introducing practical on-your-feet communication concepts and strategies which you can apply to their clinical practice.

· Increase your clarity and confidence in conversations, including your ability to build rapport, actively listen and hold civil and collaborative conversations, even in challenging situations

· Explore strategies for establishing and maintaining deep attention and focus on patients’ and colleagues’ needs and concerns in often distracting work environments.

· Connect with peers in a similar season of life in a low-stakes, supportive learning environment

· Recapture your ability to think on your feet and adapt to the uncertainties of medical communication.