Advances in Medical Education and Practice (Mar 2022)
“Getting Started”: A Pilot Introductory Narrative Writing Session for Interprofessional Faculty in Academic Health Sciences
Abstract
Christy D Remein,1 Ellen Childs,2 Jennifer Beard,3 Lindsay B Demers,1 Emelia J Benjamin,1,4 Sarah L Wingerter5 1Department of Medicine, Boston Medical Center, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA; 2Department of Health Law, Policy, and Management, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; 3Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; 4Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; 5Department of Pediatrics, Boston Medical Center, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USACorrespondence: Christy D Remein, Department of Medicine, Boston Medical Center, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, 02118, USA, Email [email protected]: We designed and implemented a pilot introductory narrative writing session with the two-fold goal of fostering the dissemination of faculty writing for submission to peer-reviewed journals and other publication venues while simultaneously creating a framework for establishing collaborative and empathic interprofessional teams by enhancing narrative-related competencies.Methods: The session was open to interprofessional faculty at our academic health sciences center. Participants were accepted via a competitive application process, with group size limited to 18 individuals due to the workshop-style format. Learners were reflective of our diverse campus regarding sex, race/ethnicity, department, rank, and professional role. The session began with an experiential seminar providing instruction on writing theory and practice, discussion questions, and reflective writing prompts. The seminar was followed by a writing workshop. We conducted a mixed-methods evaluation to gauge participant satisfaction and educational efficacy.Results: The mixed-methods evaluation revealed that faculty reported high satisfaction with the session as a designated space to contemplate, discuss, practice, share, and critique narrative writing. All learners (18, 100%) rated it “very good” or “excellent” in overall quality and value as well as in relevance to personal growth. Participants reported growth in communication (13, 72%), self-reflection (12, 67%), active listening (12, 67%), writing confidence (11, 61%), perspective-taking (11, 61%), writing skills (10, 56%), and empathy (8, 44%).Discussion: Faculty valued the session as a venue for improving their writing skills and sharing with a diverse group of colleagues about the significance of narrative in relation to their professional lives.Conclusion: Seminar outcomes suggest that narrative-based education for interprofessional health sciences faculty can be effective in achieving the two-fold goal of enhancing writing competencies while simultaneously fostering essential skills for building collaborative and empathic teams to promote high-quality education, research, and whole person clinical care.Keywords: interprofessional writing education, narrative writing, narrative education, narrative medicine, health humanities, medical humanities, literature and medicine
