“The humanities are what keeps us human.”

— Allison Russell

Life is hard. Medicine is hard. We are all looking for ways to address professional stress and enhance resiliency. This series is for everyone who wishes to enhance the well-being of practitioners and learners in healthcare settings and members of healthcare teams.

We will draw from the works of contemporary clinician-authors — including Jillian Horton, Sunita Puri, Rana Awdish, Michele Harper, and Ronald Epstein — as inspiration for personal reflection and group discussion. You will gain a better understanding of the challenges of professional practice, and of narrative-based strategies for addressing them.

Each session will include discussion of key concepts, reading activities, and writing exercises. Throughout, you will have ample opportunity to discuss your ideas and reactions in a supportive and collegial environment. There are no required reading between sessions.

Ultimately, the goal of the series is to:

• Enhance reflective capacity, narrative competence, and resiliency in professional practice
• Improve the quality and experience of relationship-centered care for patients, families, and providers through an examined, collaborative use of story
• Utilize a narrative approach to address clinician moral distress, well-being, and resilience while enhancing team-building and collaboration

Everyone is welcome. No previous writing experience is necessary to join.

Learning Objectives

• Identify 4-5 key concepts related to clinician resiliency and well being
• Utilize narrative methods for individual and group reflection
• Identify ways to integrate these methods into their own future practice

“I found [Karen’s] teaching style quite nurturing and inclusive. [This series] was such a lovely way to meet more Canadians pursuing their writing and searching for answers to difficult questions. I felt quite inspired.”

— Family Physician

Series Dates and Times

Sessions will take place online from 6 pm – 8:30 pm ET on bi-weekly Tuesdays, and run for a total of 4 sessions, starting October 24, 2023.

Dates for all sessions in the series are October 24, November 7, November 21 and December 5

Fee

Program Fee: $660

All amounts are in Canadian Dollars (CAD $) and are subject to 13% HST.

Cancellation

Cancellations will be accepted until Monday, October 16, 2023, and are subject to a processing fee of $60 plus applicable taxes. Refunds will not be processed after this date. No refunds will be issued where the cancellation fee exceeds the registration fee.

Requests for cancellation must be made in writing to cpd.programs@utoronto.ca .

Registrations are not transferable.

The University of Toronto reserves the right to cancel events. Registrants will be notified at the earliest possible date in the event of a cancellation. Registration fees for events cancelled by the University will be refunded; however, the University will not be liable for any loss, damages or other expenses that such cancellations may cause.

Accreditation

College of Family Physicians of Canada – Mainpro+® (Group Learning):
This 1.0 credit(s)-per-hour Group Learning program meets the certification criteria of the College of Family Physicians of Canada and has been certified by Continuing Professional Development, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto for up to 10.0 Mainpro+® credits.

Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada – Section 1
This event is an Accredited Group Learning Activity (Section 1) as defined by the Maintenance of Certification Program of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, approved by Continuing Professional Development, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto. You may claim a maximum of 10.0 hours (credits are automatically calculated).

American Medical Association – AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ Designation
Through an agreement between the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and the American Medical Association, physicians may convert Royal College MOC credits to AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Information on the process to convert Royal College MOC credit to AMA credit can be found at: https://www.ama-assn.org/education/ama-pra-credit-system/agreement-royal-college-physicians-surgeons-canada

European Union for Medical Specialists (UEMS)
Live educational activities recognized by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada as Accredited Group Learning Activities (Section 1) are deemed by the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS) eligible for ECMEC®.

For CPD credits, participants are required to submit a short piece of reflective writing (250-500 words) to the instructor. Writing completed during sessions can be submitted.