Upreet Dhaliwal, Foundational Certificate alum and founding editor of the RHiME journal, has published a new commentary paper on her experiences with the use of poetry in health professions education.

For several years, she has been using poems about illness to help learners understand what illness means to the person who is ill and what their struggle looks like. Upreet is interested in capturing the reactions of her learners to this modality, and the commentary reports her findings from a three-hour poetry workshop where participants were exposed to poems addressing struggles due to health issues, ethical dilemmas, and healthcare barriers.

Participants reported connecting with the struggles depicted, recognizing ethical issues, and feeling empathy. Post-workshop feedback highlighted that the poems encouraged self-reflection and supported discussions on self-care and burnout in healthcare.

The commentary shares excerpts of the poems used, some of which were written by participants, and includes a poem inspired by the discussions, composed on the spot by a participant. Read the commentary published in the Indian Journal of Medical Ethics.