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Join us for a thought-provoking series of free one-hour lunchtime webinars exploring the power of empathy in healthcare. These interactive sessions will examine key topics such as breaking down barriers in inclusion healthcare, and enhancing empathy through creativity and compassionate communication. We’ll consider the value of involving patients as partners in health profession education, and discuss the cost-effectiveness of empathic healthcare, to demonstrate how empathy leads to better outcomes for patients and practitioners. Open to all healthcare professionals, educators, and students, these webinars offer a unique opportunity to deepen your understanding of empathic practice and its impact.

Find out more and book your place on Ticket Tailor

15 and 16 September 2025

College Court Conference Centre and Hotel, Leicester, UK

The Global Empathy in Healthcare Network Symposium: ‘Rehumanising Healthcare in a Divided World’ is open to healthcare professionals, researchers, educators, and advocates from around the world.

This symposium will examine how we can rehumanise care in an era of technological advancements, remote interactions, and rising healthcare divides.

Don’t miss your chance to be part of this critical global conversation.

Find out more information about Symposium.

The details provided are for illustrative purposes only. All of our training is subject to ongoing review and improvement. We recommend booking an appointment with the Centre team to discuss your requirements in full. Contact empathy@leicester.ac.uk for more information.

About the workshop

For empathy between patients and practitioners to thrive, “system-level” factors ranging from design and physical environment, friendliness of frontline staff, technology, patient education, empathy leadership training, and staff evaluation make a difference. Modifying just some of these factors has been shown to have a real impact.

Evidence has shown that empathic healthcare:

• improves patient satisfaction with care while improving patient outcomes (including reduced pain and enhanced quality of life)
• reduces practitioner burnout
• reduces patient complaints

Training individual practitioners to practice empathically leads to positive outcomes, but systems-level training empowers organisations to fully maximise the benefits.

Find out more about the research behind our teaching below.

Who is the workshop for?

This workshop is aimed at healthcare organisations such as hospital departments or wards, and Primary Care Networks (or individual GP surgeries). Leading representatives from all stakeholder groups within the organisation (including clinicians, managers, receptionists and domestic staff) are encouraged to attend, with a minimum of two representatives per practice required for the workshop to have its full impact.

Delivery

With a focus on working in collaboration with your team, this one-day workshop proceeds in three stages, applying standard models of behaviour change and the nominal group technique:

1. Gain insights into existing evidence for the benefits of empathic healthcare and how this builds a case for improved empathic systems.
2. Explore the barriers and facilitators to empathy in the context of your healthcare setting.
3. Use the nominal group technique to develop priorities for your healthcare setting or team, committing to those which are achievable within 6 months.

Sessions will take place over one full day to allow you and your team to work through a barrier to empathy faced by your organisation. This is your chance to focus in, learn and get support. All participants will receive a certificate for completing the full day. Optional pre-course reading will be provided before the session. It is possible for training to be tailored to meet the individual needs of the organisation. Please discuss directly with the Stoneygate Centre team.

Develop your knowledge in empathic care

We have brought together the latest evidence. thinking and expertise from across the world to enable an intensive learning experience. We will start with an introduction to the effects (including benefits and potential harms) of empathic care, and the need to go beyond empathy training for practitioners. Using a mix of presentations, practical case studies and group activities, you will explore the current and future context for your organisation. Working through core topics such as transformational leadership, behavioural and communication sciences, and wider opportunities to influence decisions.

Experience facilitated discussion sessions and coaching from recognised experts

The day will be delivered in-person or online through facilitated live sessions, as well as individual and group activities. If you are joining as a team, you will get a choice to work together or separately with others to gain a fresh perspective.

Apply shared expertise and your own learning to your own situation

As a future transformational leader, you will also have an opportunity to explore leadership challenges, and engage directly with other leaders within your organisation. Exposure to different care settings and approaches will help challenge assumptions and traditional thinking in order to create a sustained impact.

Identify new solutions

This rich learning environment will provide a safe space to nurture and develop new ideas and solutions by actively working through the case scenario you bring along.

Learning outcomes

This workshop will support your team to achieve:

• an empathy improvement action plan that is tailored to your individual healthcare setting
• improved staff satisfaction, wellbeing, and retention
• improved patient satisfaction and additional outcomes such as reduced pain and improved quality of life (to be determined based on specific needs of organisations)
• reduced patient complaints

Workshop facilitators

This workshop has been developed by Professor Jeremy Howick and Dr Andy Ward and will be delivered by experienced educators from the Stoneygate Centre for Empathic Healthcare team, who aim to educate, inspire, and entertain. Find out more about the Centre team.

Cost

We can offer this workshop face to face and online for various group sizes, tailored to your team. To discuss your requirements and for current prices please contact us on empathy@leicester.ac.uk.

Booking details

Upcoming workshops are available to book on the University’s Conference and Events site.

Join our mailing list to be the first to hear about new workshops.

Feedback from previous participants

“I liked how interactive it was and supporting all colleagues to engage and work together for the same goals.”

“It was very relaxed and good humoured.  It really made me think about the ideas being put forward and how these can make a difference.”

“I enjoyed the non-pressurised and supportive environment. The inspiration and creativity of the session.”

“I liked the interactive nature, free flowing ideas and no judgement.”

Key references

1. Kang, E. S., Di Genova, T., Howick, J., & Gottesman, R. (2022). Adding a dose of empathy to healthcare: What can healthcare systems do? Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, 28(3), 475-482. https://doi.org/10.1111/jep.13664 PMID: 35213759
2. Howick, J., de Zulueta, P., & Gray, M. (2024). Beyond empathy training for practitioners: Cultivating empathic healthcare systems and leadership. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, 30(4), 548-558. https://doi.org/10.1111/jep.13970 PMID: 38436621
3. Howick, J., Ward, A., Grantham, C., & Bennett-Weston, A. (2024). Enhancing system empathy within a UK Emergency Department: A feasibility interprofessional priority setting exercise. medRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.04.15.24305826

The details provided are for illustrative purposes only. All of our training is subject to ongoing review and improvement. We recommend booking an appointment with the Centre team to discuss your requirements in full. Contact empathy@leicester.ac.uk for more information.

About the workshop

An increasing amount of evidence shows that empathy improves patient outcomes (including patient satisfaction) and practitioner well-being, yet the extent to which healthcare practitioners express empathy is variable. This workshop will cover the theory and practice of empathy in healthcare and facilitate the development of evidence-based ‘empathy habits’ to enhance empathy in clinical practice and organisations.

Find out more about the research behind our teaching below.

This course is available as both a full day and a half day.

Who is the workshop for?

This workshop is designed for clinical educators, educational supervisors, training leads, and both postgraduate and undergraduate clinical tutors. It is also suitable for anyone involved in teaching and supervising healthcare students and professionals.

Delivery

This workshop will include:

• Keynote on the latest evidence around empathic healthcare
• Group work
• Patient stories
• Opportunity to role-play in order to practice receive feedback on key skills
• Action planning for your future practice

Learning outcomes

By the end of this workshop, you will:

• Gain an understanding of the latest evidence demonstrating the impact of empathy on patient outcomes, practitioner well-being, and healthcare systems.
• Explore practical tools for assessing clinician empathy within clinical consultations.
• Develop practical, time-efficient interventions to effectively teach therapeutic empathy to healthcare students and professionals in busy clinical settings.

Workshop facilitators

This workshop has been developed by Professor Jeremy Howick and Dr Andy Ward and will be delivered by experienced educators from the Stoneygate Centre for Empathic Healthcare team, who aim to educate, inspire, and entertain. Find out more about the Centre team.

Cost

We can offer this workshop face to face and online for various group sizes, tailored to your team. To discuss your requirements and for current prices please contact us on empathy@leicester.ac.uk.

Booking details

Upcoming workshops are available to book on the University’s Conference and Events site.

Join our mailing list to be the first to hear about new workshops.

Feedback from previous participants

“Fantastic study day very enjoyable”

"Really important points, delivered very well by an experienced doctor. I will definitely be taking some of these points into practice."

“It was very interactive, fun, realistic. It gave me a good view on what to improve and develop in my skills.”

“I really liked the aspects of empathy and this lesson made me aware of how I can improve myself. I really want to improve my empathy towards my patients.”

“We all care, we just got super busy and lost our empathy on the way. The workshop helped us focus on what matters and why we are healthcare practitioners”

“Really fantastic, thank you, the group work really helped me think about how to implement what I had learned. Lots of opportunity to ask questions.”

“Brilliant refresh to myself and tips to help resident doctors to improve empathy in daily patient care”

“All of it was very interesting. And great mix of theory and interactive activities”

“It was a new thing to me to actually learn ways to teach empathy”

Key references

1. Howick, J., Moscrop, A., Mebius, A., Fanshawe, T. R., Lewith, G., Bishop, F. L., Mistiaen, P., Roberts, N. W., Dieninytė, E., Hu, X. Y., Aveyard, P., & Onakpoya, I. J. (2018). Effects of empathic and positive communication in healthcare consultations: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 111(7), 240–252. https://doi.org/10.1177/0141076818769477
2. Howick, J., & Bennett-Weston, A. (2025). An empathy definition at last: Exposing the narcissism of small differences. British Journal of General Practice, 75(751), 74. https://doi.org/10.3399/bjgp25X740613
3. Howick, J., Ward, A., & Papanikitas, A. (2024). Just do it! Ten easy ways to enhance empathy in the consultation. British Journal of General Practice, 74(740), 124–125. https://doi.org/10.3399/bjgp24X736593
4. Keshtkar, L., Madigan, C. D., Ward, A., Ahmed, S., Tanna, V., Rahman, I., Bostock, J., Nockels, K., Wang, W., Gillies, C. L., & Howick, J. (2024). The effect of practitioner empathy on patient satisfaction: A systematic review of randomized trials. Annals of Internal Medicine, 177(2), 196–209. https://doi.org/10.7326/M23-2168
5. Ward, A., & Howick, J. (2023). Teaching an empathy-focused approach to difficult consultations: A pilot session and co-production evaluation workshop. Education for Primary Care, 34(4), 228–232. https://doi.org/10.1080/14739879.2023.2241037
6. Howick, J., Palipana, D., Dambha-Miller, H., & Khunti, K. (2022). Turning diversity from a barrier to a facilitator of empathy in healthcare. British Journal of General Practice, 73(726), 24–25. https://doi.org/10.3399/bjgp23X731613
7. Lyness, E., Vennik, J. L., Bishop, F. L., Misurya, P., Howick, J., Smith, K. A., Ratnapalan, M., Hughes, S., Dambha-Miller, H., Bostock, J., Morrison, L., Mallen, C. D., Yardley, L., Leydon, G., Little, P., & Everitt, H. (2021). Exploring patient views of empathic optimistic communication for osteoarthritis in primary care: A qualitative interview study using vignettes. BJGP Open, 5(3), BJGPO.2021.0014. https://doi.org/10.3399/BJGPO.2021.0014
8. Howick, J., Mittoo, S., Abel, L., Halpern, J., & Mercer, S. W. (2020). A price tag on clinical empathy? Factors influencing its cost-effectiveness. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 113(10), 389–393. https://doi.org/10.1177/0141076820945272
9. Howick, J., Steinkopf, L., Ulyte, A., Roberts, N., & Meissner, K. (2017). How empathic is your healthcare practitioner? A systematic review and meta-analysis of patient surveys. BMC Medical Education, 17(1), 136. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-017-0967-3

The details provided are for illustrative purposes only. All of our training is subject to ongoing review and improvement. We recommend booking an appointment with the Centre team to discuss your requirements in full. Contact empathy@leicester.ac.uk for more information.

About the workshop

Empathic teams are happier teams who have higher levels of wellbeing and generate better patient outcomes. This workshop will support your team to achieve a feeling of being part of a great team.

Find out more about the research behind our teaching below.

Who is the workshop for?

This workshop is aimed at healthcare organisations such as hospital departments or wards, and Primary Care Networks (or individual GP surgeries).

Delivery

Focusing on innovation and transformation, this intensive learning provides a unique opportunity for you to take time out to challenge, change and champion the way you think and work with others to improve your health and care system.

Through our varied and highly interactive programme, this intense day will include presentation and small group discussion. By the end of the workshop, participants will:

• understand the latest evidence linking empathy with improved patient, practitioner, and system outcomes;
• become more committed to working with your practice/organisation team to enhance empathy.

Learning outcomes

This workshop will support your team to achieve:

• A “team empathy” improvement action plan that is tailored to your individual healthcare setting
• Improved staff satisfaction, wellbeing, and retention
• Improved patient satisfaction and additional outcomes such as reduced pain and improved quality of life (to be determined based on specific needs of organisations)
• Reduced patient complaints

Workshop facilitators

This workshop has been developed by Professor Jeremy Howick and Dr Andy Ward and will be delivered by experienced educators from the Stoneygate Centre for Empathic Healthcare team, who aim to educate, inspire, and entertain. Find out more about the Centre team.

Cost

We can offer this workshop face to face and online for various group sizes, tailored to your team. To discuss your requirements and for current prices please contact us on empathy@leicester.ac.uk.

Booking details

Upcoming workshops are available to book on the University’s Conference and Events site.

Join our mailing list to be the first to hear about new workshops.

Feedback from previous participants

“Interactive workshop with great presenters.”

“I liked being able to see the differences between the departments and how similar barriers we have when it comes to empathy.”

“It was good to learn more about other disciplines/work with people I’ve not met.”

“Provided greater understanding of empathy and how it impacts others.”

Key references

1. Howick, J., Moscrop, A., Mebius, A., Fanshawe, T. R., Lewith, G., Bishop, F. L., Mistiaen, P., Roberts, N. W., Dieninytė, E., Hu, X. Y., Aveyard, P., & Onakpoya, I. J. (2018). Effects of empathic and positive communication in healthcare consultations: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 111(7), 240–252. https://doi.org/10.1177/0141076818769477
2. Howick, J., & Bennett-Weston, A. (2025). An empathy definition at last: Exposing the narcissism of small differences. British Journal of General Practice, 75(751), 74. https://doi.org/10.3399/bjgp25X740613
3. Howick, J., Ward, A., & Papanikitas, A. (2024). Just do it! Ten easy ways to enhance empathy in the consultation. British Journal of General Practice, 74(740), 124–125. https://doi.org/10.3399/bjgp24X736593
4. Keshtkar, L., Madigan, C. D., Ward, A., Ahmed, S., Tanna, V., Rahman, I., Bostock, J., Nockels, K., Wang, W., Gillies, C. L., & Howick, J. (2024). The effect of practitioner empathy on patient satisfaction: A systematic review of randomized trials. Annals of Internal Medicine, 177(2), 196–209. https://doi.org/10.7326/M23-2168
5. Ward, A., & Howick, J. (2023). Teaching an empathy-focused approach to difficult consultations: A pilot session and co-production evaluation workshop. Education for Primary Care, 34(4), 228–232. https://doi.org/10.1080/14739879.2023.2241037
6. Howick, J., Palipana, D., Dambha-Miller, H., & Khunti, K. (2022). Turning diversity from a barrier to a facilitator of empathy in healthcare. British Journal of General Practice, 73(726), 24–25. https://doi.org/10.3399/bjgp23X731613
7. Lyness, E., Vennik, J. L., Bishop, F. L., Misurya, P., Howick, J., Smith, K. A., Ratnapalan, M., Hughes, S., Dambha-Miller, H., Bostock, J., Morrison, L., Mallen, C. D., Yardley, L., Leydon, G., Little, P., & Everitt, H. (2021). Exploring patient views of empathic optimistic communication for osteoarthritis in primary care: A qualitative interview study using vignettes. BJGP Open, 5(3), BJGPO.2021.0014. https://doi.org/10.3399/BJGPO.2021.0014
8. Howick, J., Mittoo, S., Abel, L., Halpern, J., & Mercer, S. W. (2020). A price tag on clinical empathy? Factors influencing its cost-effectiveness. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 113(10), 389–393. https://doi.org/10.1177/0141076820945272
9. Howick, J., Steinkopf, L., Ulyte, A., Roberts, N., & Meissner, K. (2017). How empathic is your healthcare practitioner? A systematic review and meta-analysis of patient surveys. BMC Medical Education, 17(1), 136. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-017-0967-3
   
   

The details provided are for illustrative purposes only. All of our training is subject to ongoing review and improvement. We recommend booking an appointment with the Centre team to discuss your requirements in full. Contact empathy@leicester.ac.uk for more information.

About the workshop

Empathy is a critical component of healthcare, influencing patient outcomes and clinician well-being. Systematic reviews have shown that empathy can be taught, but research indicates that it often declines as medical students progress through their training. This half-day course is specifically designed for educators to provide them with the tools to teach and assess empathy in healthcare trainees. Participants will gain practical strategies for fostering and sustaining therapeutic empathy in their students and trainees, both in clinical settings and during educational activities. The course also includes opportunities to design and share empathy-focused teaching interventions, ensuring that attendees leave with actionable plans to integrate empathic practice into their curricula. 

Who is the workshop For?

This workshop is ideal for clinical educators, educational supervisors, training leads, and both postgraduate and undergraduate clinical tutors. It is also suitable for anyone responsible for teaching, supervising, and assessing healthcare students and professionals, particularly those aiming to integrate empathy into their educational practices. Whether you are teaching in medical schools, healthcare training programs, or clinical settings, this course will enhance your ability to foster empathy in your learners.

Delivery

The workshop is interactive and designed to engage educators in hands-on activities. It will begin with a brief plenary session on the research and evidence behind empathy training, followed by group exercises focused on observing clinical interactions and providing constructive feedback. Through collaborative work, participants will develop and refine their own empathy-focused teaching interventions, gaining confidence in creating environments that promote empathic learning. Educators will also be provided with valuable resources and strategies to continue developing their teaching practices beyond the workshop.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Understand the latest evidence demonstrating how empathy impacts patient outcomes, clinician well-being, and healthcare systems, and its relevance for educators.
• Explore effective methods for assessing and measuring empathy in healthcare trainees during clinical consultations.
• Design practical, time-efficient strategies to teach and assess therapeutic empathy in healthcare students and professionals, even in busy clinical environments.

This workshop aims to equip educators with the knowledge and skills to ensure that empathy remains a key focus throughout the healthcare training journey.

Workshop facilitators

This workshop has been developed by Dr Andy Ward and will be delivered by experienced educators from the Stoneygate Centre for Empathic Healthcare team, who aim to educate, inspire, and entertain. Find out more about the Centre team.

Cost

We can offer this workshop face to face and online for various group sizes, tailored to your team. To discuss your requirements and for current prices please contact us on empathy@leicester.ac.uk.

Booking details

All available workshops can be booked on the University’s Conference and Events site.

Join our mailing list to receive an update as soon as new dates are available for this course.

Feedback from previous participants

“Really fantastic, thank you, the group work really helped me think about how to implement what I had learned. Lots of opportunity to ask questions.”

“Brilliant refresh to myself and tips to help resident doctors to improve empathy in daily patient care.”

“All of it was very interesting. And great mix of theory and interactive activities.”

“It was a new thing to me to actually learn ways to teach empathy.”

The details provided are for illustrative purposes only. All of our training is subject to ongoing review and improvement. We recommend booking an appointment with the Centre team to discuss your requirements in full. Contact empathy@leicester.ac.uk for more information.

About the course

This innovative and pioneering training course provides clinicians, educators and academics with the skills needed to develop their empathy teaching in their own setting. In addition, attendees will learn to support others to recognise the barriers and challenges to embedding empathy across the systems they work in, and to develop effective strategies for overcoming them. 

Who is the course for?

Leaders in healthcare education with an interest in developing, improving and delivering empathy-focussed training in undergraduate and postgraduate curricula.

Delivery

This 3-day face-to-face course will include:

• Keynotes from international leaders in empathic healthcare
• Plenary sessions to discuss general issues in planning, executing, and evaluating of empathic healthcare education
• Interactive small group sessions allowing participants to develop and test empathy training interventions relevant to their setting
• Networking opportunities to encourage free discussion and the establishment of ongoing links

The course is interactive and most of the course will be conducted in small groups in which participants will be expected to contribute actively to develop and test their own ideas for empathy training. Participants can test and receive expert feedback in simulated teaching scenarios. Plenary sessions will present and discuss general issues in planning, executing, and evaluating empathic healthcare education, and will demonstrate large-group strategies for teaching empathy.

Participants will receive a workbook describing the evidence for empathic healthcare, and exemplars of how it is taught, together with key references. Prior preparation will be provided to enhance the experience of the course.

Learning outcomes

• Explore different educational models for teaching empathy.
• Identify and discuss issues of pedagogy, curriculum design, development and evaluation.
• Enable the embedding of empathic healthcare education within your institution.
• Extend and advance participants’ existing critical appraisal and teaching skills.
• Develop understanding of the components of an effective curriculum for empathic practice.

Course facilitators

This course has been developed by Professor Jeremy Howick and the Stoneygate Centre for Empathic Healthcare team. Plenaries and small group workshops will be delivered by a range of international experts in the field and experienced educators from the Stoneygate Centre for Empathic Healthcare team and our collaborators. Find out more about the Centre team.

Cost

The next course is due to run in 2026 and course fees will be confirmed nearer the time.

Booking details

All available courses and workshops can be booked on the University’s Conference and Events site.

Join our mailing list to receive an update as soon as new dates are available for this course.

Places for this course are limited to increase opportunities for interaction with leading experts, encourage personal development and to allow the co-production of bespoke implementation plans. Early booking is advised.

Feedback from previous participants

“The energy and buzz created by the delegates was amazing, everyone was soo keen to learn and share which created a really enthusiastic and safe environment. The plenary talks were brilliant and inspiring and the small group sessions were the perfect way to apply what we had learnt in the sessions before.”

“I thought the group sessions over the days allowed time to get to know each other and share learning really effectively.  I also liked having such world-renowned speakers all in one place sharing their expertise. It felt like such a privilege to hear them speak and share their knowledge.  I also loved just speaking to whoever I was sitting next to, having really interesting conversations with them and learning more about who they are, their work, their challenges, why empathy matters to them in their role.”

“Participation, Learning, Interactions, Generosity of years of research shared and being continued.  So many incredible minds meeting towards understanding their patients as a whole rather than their parts.”

“It was incredibly inspiring and motivating. I learned so much. I think it will take days to reflect and digest everything I've been immersed in.”

The details provided are for illustrative purposes only. All of our training is subject to ongoing review and improvement. We recommend booking an appointment with the Centre team to discuss your requirements in full. Contact empathy@leicester.ac.uk for more information.

About the workshop

Research on empathic leadership (which is both part of compassionate leadership and goes beyond compassionate leadership) is thriving. Forbes, and the Harvard Business Review, have extensively explored the concept, and there are a growing number of books on the topic. Building on research showing that empathy benefits patients and healthcare practitioners, this is the first course of its kind we are aware of. In it, we teach “heuristics”, simple rules of thumb, that leaders can use to lead with empathy, making their teams and organisations thrive.

Find out more about the research behind our teaching below.

This course for healthcare leaders is under development and will be offered starting in October 2025: watch this space!

Key references

1. Brower, T. (2021, September 19). Empathy is the most important leadership skill, according to research. Forbes. Available from: https://www.forbes.com/sites/tracybrower/2021/09/19/empathy-is-the-most-important-leadership-skill-according-to-research/?sh=11089c6f3dc5 (accessed 11 April 2024).
2. Valadon, O. (2023, October). What we get wrong about empathic leadership. Harvard Business Review. Available from: https://hbr.org/2023/10/what-we-get-wrong-about-empathic-leadership (accessed 11 April 2024).
3. McGowan, H., & Shipley, C. (2023). The empathy advantage: Leading the empowered workforce. Wiley.
4. Sear, P. (2023). Empathic leadership: Lessons from elite sport. Routledge.
5. Howick, J., Moscrop, A., Mebius, A., Fanshawe, T. R., Lewith, G., Bishop, F. L., Mistiaen, P., Roberts, N. W., Dieninytė, E., Hu, X. Y., Aveyard, P., & Onakpoya, I. J. (2018). Effects of empathic and positive communication in healthcare consultations: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 111(7), 240–252. https://doi.org/10.1177/0141076818769477
6. Wilkinson, H., Whittington, R., Perry, L., & Eames, C. (2017). Examining the relationship between burnout and empathy in healthcare professionals: A systematic review. Burnout Research, 6, 18–29. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.burn.2017.06.003

About the workshop

The workshop is interactive and designed to engage participants in hands-on exercises and creative activities. It will begin with a briefing on the research linking creative approaches and empathic healthcare, followed by individual creative exercises. Small group activities will help participants reflect on the creative process and develop confidence in close reading and perspective taking.

Participants will develop and refine their own creative approaches, and then be guided to apply these to their reflective practice. Participants will be encouraged to share as much as they feel comfortable with, and will be provided with guidance and creative resources to continue developing their practice beyond the workshop.

Find out more about the research behind our teaching below.

This course for all healthcare professionals is currently under development: watch this space!

Key references

1. Jack, K., & Illingworth, S. (2019). Developing reflective thinking through poetry writing: Views from students and educators. International Journal of Nursing Education Scholarship, 16(1), Article 0064. https://doi.org/10.1515/ijnes-2018-0064
2. McBain, L., Donnelly, S., Hilder, J., & McDonald, P. (2015). "I wanted to communicate my feelings freely": A descriptive study of creative responses to enhance reflection in palliative medicine education. BMC Medical Education, 15, 180. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-015-0465-4
3. McDonald, P., Ashton, K., Barratt, R., & McBain, L. (2015). Clinical realism: A new literary genre and a potential tool for encouraging empathy in medical students. BMC Medical Education, 15, 112. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-015-0372-8
4. Rowe, D. B. (2018). The "novel" approach: Using fiction to increase empathy. Virginia Libraries, 63(1). https://doi.org/10.21061/valib.v63i1.1474