Medical improv: the training we have been missing

Medical students are used to being under the spotlight. In OSCE (objective structured clinical examination) stations, we must demonstrate our knowledge in staged encounters, and, during clinical placements, we are under scrutiny when we interact with patients and are put on the spot by seniors. Although these experiences are daily features of our education, they are unpredictable and require us to think quickly on our feet. Combined with the pressure of having to prove our competency, these performances can be anxiety provoking and take practice to navigate confidently. Traditional clinical and professional skills curriculums do not adequately deal with this performative aspect of our training. Improvisational theatre can help us better tackle dynamic professional performances.

Improvisational theatre, or improv for short, is the art of unscripted performance. On stage, two or more improvisers co-create a scene, complete with a plot and characters from random audience suggestions. Often, they do this with such synchronisation that observers can scarcely believe it is unrehearsed, and that is the magic of improv. Behind …