No Laughing Matter: Medical Improv Training is Making a Difference for Future Physicians
Medical students at the Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine at Texas Christian University participate in improvisational exercises to promote active listening.
FORT WORTH – Students from Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine at Texas Christian University took center stage to try their hands at improv.
The exercises sparked lots of laughs and reactions, however, it’s serious business when it comes to the potential impact to the future physicians’ patients.
“The general principles of applied improv, while it can be funny, humor is not the intention,” said Erin Nelson, Psy.D., Assistant Dean of Physician Communication.
“It’s a way of teaching a set of skills and how to engage with others in unpredictable and spontaneous situations. It also helps when it comes to communicating across groups for resolving conflicts.”
As part of the curriculum, medical students from the class of 2026 gathered at Arnold Hall to participate in the exercises designed to promote active listening.
“A lot of times when you walk into a room or a situation you don’t know where that conversation is headed,” said Cort Ewing, MS-3.
“I think it’s important because it gives us the skills to guide those conversations and create connections. It’s important for the patients because they’ll feel like they are being heard.”
Research shows this improv technique helps with self-confidence, ability to resolve conflict and identify what’s happening in a fast-paced environment. It’s also helping physicians deal with burnout.
“There is a lot of morbidity amongst practicing physicians, a lot of burnout,” said Howard Silverman, M.D., professor of Biomedical Informatics, Family Practice and Medical Humanities at College of Medicine-Phoenix.
“If we can do this early while they are still students, we can foster some habits that will help them.”
Silverman was joined by members of his team from the College of Medicine-Phoenix. Three local improv specialists were also on hand to help show students how improv works and acted out different scenarios.
“I look forward to applying what I’ve learned,” Ewing said. “I really hope to get some good skills out of it that I can take with me during my career.”