Ethics and curricular competencies during a three-hour poetry workshop for health professionals

Poetry is a powerful tool to promote communication, develop insight and empathy, examine ethical issues, and challenge assumptions. We have been using poetry in health professions education for many years and wished to capture its impact on healthcare learners and professionals, with a focus on competencies essential to healthcare providers. A three-hour poetry workshop was conducted during the National Conference for Health Professions Educators, 2022, for volunteers from the health professions. Poems were curated beforehand to highlight ethics concepts, and social and structural healthcare barriers. Participant responses suggested that they connected with the struggles depicted, noticed ethical issues, and experienced empathy. Online feedback from participants after the workshop revealed that the poems motivated self-reflection, gave voice to feelings, and helped understand patient perspectives. Our findings suggest that integrating poetry into the curriculum can improve educational competencies, enhance understanding of illness, and facilitate creativity, reflective learning, and discussions on self-care and burnout.