Alberta Physicians' Poetry and Prose

Stock photo by Helena Lopes, via unsplash.com

PFSP recognizes the importance of the emotional and social aspects of physicians’ lives in their overall wellness. We invite Alberta physicians in any career stage to send in their original poems/prose to be considered for publication in the PFSP Perspectives column in future issues of Alberta Doctors’ Digest. 

How is poetry and prose beneficial to your mental health?

Poetry and Medicine by Audrey Shafer MD

Anesthesiology Clinics 40 (2022) 359–372; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anclin.2022.01.009; anesthesiology.theclinics.com; 1932-2275/22. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Key points:

  • Poetry and medicine have multiple complex connections because they both can address difficult human experiences.
  • Anesthesiology, including the arc of patient care and attention to rhythms and precision, has much in common with the poem, including arcs of thought, rhythms, pauses and resonances.
  • Increasingly, access to reading and writing poetry has been found to decrease stress, enable reflection, and improve well-being.

How writing helps medical students and doctors handle stress by Holly MacCormick

Stanford Medicine & the Muse's Laurel Braitman discusses the mental health benefits of storytelling for health care workers. Continue reading Scope 10k article. Published by Stanford Medicine, May 20, 2020.

Send us your original works

  • Submissions (under 500 words please) can be emailed to pfsp@albertadoctors.org. Please put the phrase “poetry submission” in the subject field of the email.
  • We will acknowledge receipt of your submission. If it is selected for publication, we will work with the editor of ADD to determine when it can be published.
  • For further information or questions, please email pfsp@albertadoctors.org, and one of our team will get back to you.

Physician poetry submissions

The trouble with death - Jim Malmberg, Retired Psychiatrist

tinnitus - Ted Jablonski, MD CCFP FCFP

the parasite as hero - Ted Jablonski, MD CCFP FCFP

Not billable - Hollis Roth MD, CCFP (PC)

Oath - Hollis Roth MD, CCFP (PC)

The AMA advances patient-centered, quality care by advocating for and supporting physician leadership and wellness.