PHARMACISTS should take part in improv comedy sessions to help relieve stress and improve their communications skills, a US pharmacy academic believes.
This is no joke - seriously!
Betty Derza, a 2020 PharmD candidate at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science College of Pharmacy in Illinois, has published a paper encouraging pharmacy professionals to get silly and "smile until your cheeks hurt".
"When you watch people perform improv comedy, you laugh the entire time," she said.
"As health care providers, we undergo a large amount of stress on a daily basis.
"When you enjoy a funny performance happening in front of you, you do not worry about all of the patients that you saw earlier in the day. Regularly smiling until your cheeks hurt can help prevent burnout."
The fast and unpredictable nature of improv is also perfect training for pharmacists, she added, because they regularly have to face unusual and unpredictable interactions with patients and colleagues within the healthcare professions.
"Improv comedy tends to be silly and unrealistic," Derza said.
"Thinking of scenarios like this improves creativity, which is vital in health care...sometimes medical professionals need to think outside the box to save lives."
Maybe hours spent at comedy nights could be counted for CPD points, with performers earning Group 3 points for their skills - or better still, could improv be funded under the 7CPA?
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