What is Medical Improv?
Medical improv is an experiential teaching modality which adapts the “YES AND” mindset, experiential activities, and learning strategies from improvisational theatre and theatre education in order to improve outcomes in healthcare. Medical improv helps staff develop emotional intelligence (EQ) and communication skills while promoting positive relationships and decreasing stress. All of which are foundational in contributing to important outcomes including patient safety, patient experience, staff morale, cost-effectiveness, individual, team and leadership development, patient advocacy, and organizational culture. As suggested in this Journal of Advanced Practice Nursing article, EQ is even important in establishing safe levels of nurse staffing which in turn impacts many critical outcomes.
Please note, definitions of medical improv vary slightly with practitioners!
How is it different from other forms of Applied Improv?
Medical improv is a sub-specialty of applied improvisation intended to address unique goals, culture, and problems that ‘healthcare’, (as a high reliability and complex adaptive human system), faces. While many of the activities and processes described in applied improvisation resources are relevant, the context for learning includes important differences:
- Relentless stress (24/7/365)
- Almost constant life and death consequences with decision-making
- Old and often toxic hierarchy embedded in organizational cultures
- Persistent and complex problems involving burnout, bullying, and staffing
- Costs associated with providing care.
- Continuum of dependency on system for addressing medical and social issues
- Frequent changes in teams, technology, policies and protocols
- Varying education, roles and responsibilities, goals, experience among healthcare professionals
For applied improv teachers, this means the more they understand these issues, the more effective they can be in applyng their teachings in healthcare settings.
Is Medical Improv like improv comedy?
Medical improv is different from improv comedy in two important ways. First, improv comedy is a performance that is designed to entertain the audience. Medical improv is a learning process designed to build skills, competencies, and relationships, promote positive relationships, and reduced stress so as to improve outcomes. Another way that medical improv is different is that special care is taken to optimize psychological safety to ensure positive learning experiences for all healthcare staff. Even with these differences, you’l’re likely to hear laughter during a medical improv session because it can be a lot of fun!
Where did the term come from?
Medical improv is a term coined by Professor Katie Watson in her course with medical students which she describes in her 2011 Perspective: Serious play: teaching medical skills with improvisational theater techniques. Other pioneers, were integrating improv in their teaching. For example, in 2011 this author introduced using an activity called “Overload” at a Public Health Forum at New York University which resulted in this 2012 Youtube, “Interruption Awareness“! Jude Treder-Wolff, LCSW, CPAI of Lifestage Inc was using improv techniques in smoking cessation workshop around that time. Her work with patients, healthcare professionals, and improvisors has and continues to inspire mine for many years. Margot Escott is another inspiring LCSW who has been using improv to help folks with Parkinsons Disease and other neurological challenges
Dr. Belinda Fu, MD joined forces with Professor Watson in co-creating trainings at Northwestern University in 2013. And Dr. Michael Smith, MD began taking improv classes in 2014 and shortly after, teaching them Dr. Candy Campbell completed her DNP at University of San Francisco in 2014 as described in her dissertation, “Improv to Improve Interprofessional Communication, Team Building, Patient Safety, and Patient Satisfaction”. Other practitioners who’d like to be mentioned in this answer are encouraged to reach out to beth@bethboynton.com.
How can I learn more?
There are a variety of ways to learn more about medical improv. Of course you can always ‘google’ the term and see what comes up or reach out to any of the practitioners above. Here are some of the resources that I offer:
- Explore articles, videos, and podcasts on Medical Improv Events & Resources
- Come to a free, 90 minute, online session: “YES AND” 101 for Healthcare & Mental Health Care Visionaries (also available to teams/organizations for fee)
- Take the “YES AND” Tutorial with a friend or colleague
- Books
- Medical Improv: A New Way to Improv Communication (2017)
- The Medical Improv Toolkit (with Ellen Schnur, DTM, CP) (2024)
- And you can always schedule a call to learn how medical improv can be helpful to your team or organization. My collaborative colleague, Ellen schnur, DTM, CP of Improv Talk and I are happy to customize a program to meet your specific goals, such as this recent one for students and faculty at Harper College. Beth@bethboynton.com or Ellen.Schnur@improvtalk.com.
What else would you like to know?
Please post your questions and/or comments in the comment section or email beth@bethboynton.com.
Follow
