Humanities in Medicine Professional Education

Humanities in Medicine's education programs promote the development of well-rounded healthcare professionals who are aware of Mayo Clinic's unique heritage, understand the benefits of a culturally rich healing environment and are trained in the art of medicine as an essential professional asset.

Studying arts and humanities is essential for training healthcare professionals who can offer holistic and individualized care for patients. Through engaging in arts and humanities activities, healthcare professionals can enhance critical skills such as empathy, problem-solving, innovative thinking, communication and teamwork. Our offerings also aim to strengthen Mayo Clinic caregiver well-being, which can reduce burnout and lead to better care for patients.

We offer many education programs, including arts and humanities selectives and a Distinction in Applied Medical and Health Humanities for medical students; custom workshops for residents, fellows and healthcare staff; and educational outings to community arts events.

Education programs are available to Mayo Clinic learners and staff throughout the year. No previous experience is necessary. For information on offerings, contact humanities@mayo.edu.

Opportunities for Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science learners:

Medical education workshops. Custom built sessions draw upon a variety of arts and humanities approaches to meet the needs of diverse learner groups. Sessions help meet institutional and Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education competencies and focus on topics such as preventing burnout and improving listening and communication skills.
Biomedical Ethics and Humanities in Medicine Grand Rounds. The joint Biomedical Ethics and Humanities Grand Rounds series provides audiences the opportunity to learn from national and international experts about new discoveries and research in the application of ethics and humanities in medicine.
The Tempest. Each year learners have the opportunity to submit poetry, prose and visual art that is collected and placed into the Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine learner-led creative arts publication.
M.S. and Certificate in Medical and Health Humanities. The Humanities in Medicine team is developing a new M.S. and Certificate in Medical and Health Humanities that typically enable Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science learners to gain scholarly knowledge and practical expertise in integrating humanities approaches into health and healthcare in a way that complements clinical approaches traditionally taken in biomedicine. Participants typically gain skills in a broad range of arts and humanities areas including narrative, visual art and improvisational theatre.
Additional opportunities. Some additional opportunities are available, such as "Literature is Good Medicine" workshops and off-campus outings.

Opportunities for Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine learners:

Distinction in Applied Medical and Health Humanities. The Applied Medical and Health Humanities Distinction provides students with the opportunity to engage in theoretical study and creative practice and to build research skills to gain additional knowledge in the field of medical and health humanities.

Selectives for Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine learners:

The Human Element: A Series in the Healing Arts. This series of sessions focuses on storytelling, narrative, visual arts, music therapy, theatre, presence, and other medical and humanities topics, taught by professional artists and healthcare professionals who practice art.
Looking at Art: A Way Into Seeing Patients and Self. This course aims to build a variety of related and essential skills that physicians need — including observation skills, interpersonal and communication skills, active listening, and collaborative problem-solving — by looking at art and engaging in facilitated discussions that make meaningful experiences of looking at art.
Serious Play: Learning From Improvisational Theatre to Deepen Therapeutic Connections & Collaboration in Medical Settings. Based on the principles of improvisational theatre, this selective offers an opportunity to develop new skills to deliver humanistic patient care, connect with peers and experience a creative approach to self-care.
Where I’m From: The Hospital as a Microcosm. Through an interdisciplinary approach, melding literature, research, anthropology and personal experiences, this course provides learners with critical and reflexive thinking and analysis tools to support building deeper cultural and structural understanding of healthcare disparities and social justice in medicine.
Poetry in Medicine. This selective explores the relationships between poetry and medicine, both historical and contemporary, and the importance of pathos-based relationships between medical professionals and patients.
Additional opportunities. Some additional staff- or student-led activities and selectives are available. Examples include Medical Humanities Reading, Clinic Notes and Medical Illustration.

Campus-specific opportunities

The Center for Humanities in Medicine at each campus hosts special events and customizable workshops to meet departmental needs and the academic objectives of our colleagues and students.

Arizona workshops

Professional development workshops are available for pathway and undergraduate students through lifelong learners. Previous humanities experience is not required, and all Mayo Clinic employees are welcome to participate.

Innovation Moment: What Does Winning Look Like? This workshop connects creativity to technological advancement through visual thinking and fueling curiosity.

Medical Improv uses improvisational principles from the theatre to improve communication skills as well as increase adaptability and resilience.

#MEduHam: Origin Stories introduces staff and students to medical and health humanities through pop culture.

Space, Place, and Play helps learners navigate familiar ground with new perspective through improv, visual art and music.

Telling Your Story: Personal Statement Writing uses storytelling to craft personal statements for applications to graduate school.

Therapeutic Movement connects professional Flamenco artists with participants of all ages and ability to increase physical, mental and emotional well-being through dance.

Time Signatures explores the scope of music in healthcare as experience, therapy and personal practice with emphasis on Mayo Clinic values and strategy.

Florida workshops

Fellows' and Residents' Health and Wellness Initiative, called FERHAWI, helps physicians in training reduce stress through humanities activities not usually associated with medicine. Goals include improving the quality of life, combating issues of fatigue and preventing burnout. Activities may include:

Creative expression.
Art interpretation.
Art making.
Music.
Drama.
Dance and movement.
Photography.
Narrative and reflective writing.
Poetry and prose.
Stress management and resilience training using mindfulness, yoga and spirituality.

Humanities and Medicine for the Nurse offers programs, such as Nurses Week, that focus on techniques for self-care and de-stressing. Some sessions are hosted at Mayo Clinic while others are hosted at the Cummer Museum. Workshops may include writing, chair yoga and visual arts.

Humanities in Medicine for the Physician spans Family Medicine, Internal Medicine and Neurology residents at Mayo Clinic in Florida. Facilitated sessions are designed to meet four Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education core competencies, which include interpersonal and communication skills, professionalism, patient care, and medical knowledge. Curriculum includes interactive gallery experience, reflective writing, music, art interpretation, poetry, yoga and meditation.

Florida Humanities in Medicine Internship

The Lyndra P. Daniel Center for Humanities in Medicine Internship at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, provides undergraduate, graduate or postgraduate students opportunities to integrate the arts and other expressions of human culture into the healing environment of the hospital and outpatient clinics.

Learn more about the internship and how to apply.

Minnesota workshops

Improv. Workshops engage participants in experiential exercises built on core principles from theatre. Practicing improvisational principles can improve listening and communication skills, increase adaptability and resilience, create brave spaces, and assist in developing trust- and team-building skills. Often subtly profound, the exercises are "serious play." Workshops can be tailored to settings from classroom to conference room.

Visual Arts. Artist-led workshops use mediums chosen by each group. Workshops focus on freedom of self-expression, establishing daily artistic practices for well-being and opportunities to understand how art can support mental health. Sessions engage participants in developing visual arts skills as foundations for reflecting through art and include discussions on themes relevant to participants' lives and work. Can be on-site or at the Rochester Art Center.

Music. Options vary widely ranging from basic concepts of music therapy to the intentional application of music practices to enhance wellness.

Music Assisted Relaxation, also called MAR: Uses live music and spoken instructions to promote mindfulness and a deep state of relaxation, also known as the "relaxation response." MAR is done in person with a music therapist.
Drumming: Workshops with a variety of percussion instruments assist with team building, developing listening skills, presence, belonging and reflection. Themes or work contexts can be incorporated to support specific needs of work groups.
Song Writing: Participants collectively write a song, building community and a sense of belonging and linking song lyrics and form with themes of the day.

Narrative workshops engage participants in storytelling with alignment to departmental needs and learning objectives.

Personal Narrative: Participants are invited to create their own narratives and are offered opportunities to share their perspectives on the process and on themes related to their lives and work as they wish.
Literature is Good Medicine: A narrative medicine discussion and writing group offers a conversation unlike most others in your average workday.

Moderated discussions are designed to meet the departmental needs and academic objectives of our colleagues and learners.