Bioethics Poetry Group: A sustainable program of expression and self-care

Abstract: Provider self-care has been a significant issue that many academic and health systems have been struggling with in recent years. Less attention has been focused on self-care for those who do bioethics-related work. Writing poetry, along with being an excellent modality of introspection and expression, has been associated with several health benefits ranging from lowering blood pressure and muscle tension to improvements in coping and well-being. Inspired by a Poetry in Healthcare workshop at the 24th Annual Meeting of ASBH, a diverse group of bioethics scholars, clinicians, and educators have been convening monthly since the fall of 2022. These sessions have served as a space for creative expression, connection, and psychological safety to explore aspects of our respective professions, personal life, or the experience of being human.

In this presentation, we will discuss the Bioethics Poetry Group’s format and provide examples of poetry and prompts that have been used to inspire the poetry writing sessions. We will present personal poetry, insights, and experiences from the Bioethics Poetry Group members to illustrate the sessions’ impact on group participants. We have found that the sessions create a sense of solidarity and enhanced participant well-being. In addition, members typically feel comfortable sharing their work due to the supportive and encouraging environment that has been established. Lastly, we will discuss how this model may be adapted to other artistic modalities, such as prose, music, sketching, etc., that may resonate with a variety of participant groups as mechanisms for reflection, connection, and self-care.

Jennifer Baumgrotz – Sentara; Debra Gorman-Badar – Anaconda Physical Therapy Center; Dawn Hood-Patterson – Children's Health Dallas; Katy Trapp – Sentara; Joelle Robertson-Preidler – The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston