Medical improv is helping medical students build communication skills, empathy and resilience. What can recent studies from Sweden and the United States tell us?
Hello from FOR ME NY! Today we would like to talk about the connection between improvisation (improv) and medicine.
Communication and a safe space in healthcare
In healthcare, communication is vital. A study at Uppsala University in Sweden found that students’ communication skills and their ability to work as a team improved considerably. What worked especially well was the environment the program created: one where everyone felt safe to speak up and willing to take on a challenge. That kind of space becomes an important place for developing leadership [1].
Attention in the United States, too
The value of improv is being studied in the US as well. At the University of California, San Diego, researchers found that improv enriched students’ everyday lives and their ability to take action. It is being welcomed as a promising new approach to medical training [2].
Improv is spreading around the world
Beyond the US and Sweden, other countries are also bringing improv into medical education. Online improv sessions, for example, are drawing attention as a new way to nurture empathy in medical students, and they have been shown to help students handle difficult situations with more confidence [3].
In addition, research from the University of Arizona suggests that improv can build students’ resilience. This shows in gains in self-compassion and in the ability to respond to the unexpected [5].
The future of medical education
Taken together, these studies show that improv in medicine is well worth learning from. By using improv theater, educators can offer students dependable communication skills and a safe place to learn. In a joint study by FOR ME NY and Keio University, we also confirmed that improv helps people concentrate better and become more interested in what they are doing, which in turn can help reduce stress. To learn more, please visit formenewyork.com.
What could improv bring to your educational setting?
- Student perceptions of medical improv in Sweden: an assessment of acceptability, relevance, and psychological safety (BMC Medical Education, Lina Lantz, Inana Selenius, Jens Mellqvist, Oliver J. Dyar, 2026)
- The impact of a medical improv curriculum on wellbeing and professional development among pre-clinical medical students (University of California San Diego / Journal Publication, UC San Diego investigators, 2021)
- Zoom Improv is accessible and enhances medical student empathy (BMC Medical Education, Maya F. Amjadi, Jacqueline Kociubuk, Fauzia Hollnagel, Vera K. Tsenkova, Amy B. Zelenski et al., 2024)
- Yes, and: fostering wellness and professional growth for surgery residents through medical improv (Global Surgical Education, M. M. Wieck, E. S. Salcedo, S. Aghamohammadi et al., 2026)
- Navigating uncertainty: Impact of improvisational theater training on the resiliency of medical students (Academic Medicine, University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix team, 2026)
- Improve with improv: Developing interprofessional communication skills in health professions students (Currents in Pharmacy Teaching & Learning, Ora A. Olsommer, Ryan S. Gibbard, Brian J. Wilkinson et al., 2026)
This article is based on summaries of the cited papers and articles. Please see each reference for details.