Abstract

There have been many famous authors who were also doctors eg, Arthur Conan Doyle and Somerset Maughan. Somerset Maughan wrote, “I don’t know a better training for a writer than to spend some years in the medical profession.” It is often debated whether medicine is an art or a science, but a study of the humanities and developing skills in creative writing may lead to the training of a more holistic doctor. This paper describes a undergraduate teaching module in creative, critical and practical writing skills that is run for medical undergraduates and how it can enable them to write more effectively, to become skilled at critically appraising the written word, to communicate more articulately through the written word, to enhance skills in creative writing and submit assignments to demonstrate ability to write fiction as prose or poems. The paper also describes how students can improve their skills in scientific writing, eg, a paper or a chapter in a book and how they can communicate with patients more effectively through the use of information leaflets and writing directly by copying referral and clinic letters to them. The paper argues how the overall skills in writing by future doctors can be enhanced through a study of the humanities and that considerable satisfaction can be gained through writing and possibly being published. Teaching in what is called the ‘humanities’ is a rapidly growing area in medical education and can enable students to think more deeply and holistically about their contacts with patients. It is an opportunity for medical students to shine and to be creative and such teaching should be considered in medical undergraduate curriculums globally.