The ‘Clinical Humanities & Wellbeing programme’- sustainable healthcare education for an era of uncertainty

Figures & data

Cress seeds eco-art - created, grown, and photographed by Kalyopi Belets, first year King’s dental student. As part of this first year module, all students are tasked with growing cress seeds, nurturing them and asked to photograph from initial planting through to maturity. Small prizes are awarded at the end of term for the most creative planting.

Table 1. Curriculum content and structure.

Year of study	Programme *	Module title	Learning themes (mapped to the General Dental Council learning outcomes 2015)	Longitudinal themes throughout all modules, years 1-5
1	BDS, DHT, BSc	Object research for beginning and belonging (Smyth Zahra, 2022a, 2022b)	Reflection on learning, team- work and seeking and giving feedback (GDC P, M&L) Object- based learning and new ‘ways of looking’. The global burden of infectious/communicable, non- communicable/chronic, and oral diseases and appreciate the context of our local neighbouring communities’ oral health needs (GDC 2.2, 10.5) Inequalities in oral health care (GDC 1.7.1, 2.1, 6.3, 7.3, 10.5) Cultural agility/humility/competency, creative and interdisciplinary thinking (GDC 1.7.1, 5.4) Flourishing for university learning to professional practice and self-care. (GDC 6.2, 10.3) Fundamentals of service-learning and be aware of local and international volunteering opportunities. (GDC 9.1, 10.3, 10.4) Awareness of strategies for ‘Personal sustainability’ and early leadership attributes. (GDC P, C, M&L 8)	Complexity and Uncertainty. Professional identity formation from beginning to being. Personal development & personal sustainability The SDG’s- sustainable health care education, stewardship Cultural humility, Cultural competency. Critical Consciousness & Reflexivity Values-based Practice. Leadership as Collaborative Practice (Flavin, 2021) Global Oral Health, inequalities & inequities Innovation & Leadership Philosophy – Epistemologies, Ethical uncertainty, moral integrity. Phronesis Advocacy & Activism Planetary Health Critical, comparative & creative thinking -challenging, inclusive, brave spaces, museum, and green spaces
2	BDS, DHT, BSc	Observation, Advocacy and Justice	Visual diagnostic skills to assess museum objects and through the subjective study of art, interpret emotions, show empathy and compassion for all patients as individuals. (GDC 3.1, 3.2, 5.1, 11.1) Ambiguity and uncertainty of delivery of 21st century oral health care. Doing the right thing-what happens when professional values are subverted? Learning from the atrocities of the Holocaust with Dr Hedy Wald. (Tauschel et al., 2020) Values-based practice and the legal basis of consent are integrated in sustainable oral healthcare delivery. (GDC 1.7.1, 6.1, 6.3, 7.2, 10.4, 10.5) Epistemic injustice and who might be most at risk of human rights violations. (GDC 1.71, 6.1, 6.2, 7.2, 7.3) Inequalities in oral health care, exploring how cultural agility, creative and cross-disciplinary thinking, are employed to solve complex global problems. (GDC 2.1,10.5) Reflexivity, individual and team reflective practice, together with, arts and museum- based approaches to self-care and personal sustainability. (GDC 4.3, 6.2, 9.1, 10.1, 10.3, 10.8)
3	BDS, DHT, BSc	Performance, Lived Experience and Self-esteem	Performance and simulation in musical education and clinical education. (GDC 3.2) Patient narratives and patient lived experience of xerostomia, ageing, ‘hidden disability’. GDC 1.71, 6.3, 10.5, 11.1) Exploring links between arts, health, and wellbeing. Biomedical and sociocultural models as determinants of health outcomes, disability inclusion as an integral part of achieving the UN sustainable development goals (GDC 1.1.13, / 1.1.10, 2.1 3.1, 7.3, 10.5) Continuing development of reflexivity and critically reflect on the journey to date from layperson to becoming a professional and member of the oral healthcare team. (GDC 8.2, 9.1, 10.2, 10.3, 11.8) Approaches to self-care, for a sustainable and healthy working life and formulate ways to promulgate this approach to the wider oral health care team (GDC 10.3, 11.8)
4	BDS	Complexity, Climate change & conflict resolution	Ethics and sustainability in global oral health programs, volunteering, and the principles of sustainable clinical practice (GDC 2.2, 2.5, 10.5)  Trust, ability to listening skills and leadership that underpins conflict resolution and reconciliation (GDC 1.7.1, 3.1,3.2, 7.4, 7.5, 10.1, 10.3)  Certainty and uncertainty, climate change and sustainable healthcare and continuing development of reflexivity.  (GDC 1.10.4, 2.2, 6.5, 7.2, 7.4, 7.5, 9.1)  Reflection on the transition from layperson to oral health care professional evidencing approaches for leading a sustainable and healthy professional life, and developing a personal philosophy for flourishing in the 21st century (GDC 9.6, 10.2, 10.3, 10.5)
5	BDS	Leadership, Sustainable oral health and self -care for an age of uncertainty	Critically evaluate different approaches to meeting global health needs post Covid-19 and the role of the 21st century dentist. (GDC 10.4, 10.5, 11.6) Reflexivity and the importance of maintaining an individual moral compass, seeking support and help from colleagues and mentors particularly with regard to ‘managing complex, uncertain situations and responding to change’. (GDC Preparedness for Practice 2020) Strategies for a sustainable and healthy professional life. (GDC Preparation for Practice 2015 and 9.1, 10.6, 11.6) The importance of ‘lifelong learning and application to practice’. (GDC Preparation for Practice 2015) SusQI** projects for the workplace.

Time commitment per year for each 15- credit bearing module.

25 hours of guest speaker sessions, lectures, and workshops.

60 hours of museum outings, supervised learning, discussion fora assessment and feedback sessions.

65 hours of self-guided learning, including 30 hours of volunteering time.

Experiential learning across all years 1-5.

Art museum visits 1-2 half days in groups of 20 with group lead faculty member (years 1-3) or self- directed (years 4-5) employing museum- based pedagogies (Chisolm et al., 2020).

Discussion fora that students contribute to online Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).

Self-directed green space activity and posting photos on VLE (FoDOCS, 2023).

Volunteering 30 hours per annum with critical report posted annually.

90 min guest speaker sessions either online or in person, with didactic elements, student participation and time for Q&A and discussion.

Performance spaces and presentations (e.g. year 1 presentation of object based research; year 3 music performance ½ day), year 5 SusQI projects afternoon).

*Bachelor of Dental Science programme (BDS), Dental hygiene therapy (DHT), Bachelor of Science (BSc).

** Sustainability in Quality Improvement.

Smyth Zahra, F. (2022a). Clinical humanities & wellbeing programme: circle U. flagship initiatives in education circle U European university alliance. https://view.genial.ly/615469ee6062fc0dddc2633f

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Flavin, M. (2021). A Disruptive innovation perspective on students’ opinions of online assessment. Research in Learning Technology, 29, 2611. doi: 10.25304/rlt.v29.2611.

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Tauschel, D., Selg, P., Edelhäuser, F., Witowski, A., & Wald, H. S. (2020). Cultivating awareness of the Holocaust in medicine. The Lancet, 395(10221), 334. doi: 10.25304/rlt.v29.2611.

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FoDOCS. (2023). FoDOCS students learning about the SDGs, the importance of green spaces and similarities between caring and growing – King’s Sustainability. kcl.ac.uk

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