Background: Working in oncology provides deep professional purpose, yet healthcare workers face high levels of moral distress, vicarious trauma, and burnout. While clinical training equips clinicians to analyse data and manage physical symptoms, it rarely provides structured outlets to process the emotional impact of suffering, grief, and end-of-life care. Creative and reflective writing—including poetry, narrative prose, and reflective journaling—offers an accessible, evidence-informed modality to bridge this gap (Stilos & Burgoyne, 2021).
Purpose: This abstract explores the mental health and well-being benefits of creative writing for healthcare workers across multidisciplinary cancer care settings, highlighting its role in personal resilience and clinical practice.
Benefits to Healthcare Workers: Creative writing functions as a powerful tool for processing complex, often unspoken clinical experiences. Engaging in narrative expression enables clinicians to:
Externalise Moral Distress: Writing creates psychological distance, allowing clinicians to externalise trauma, process grief, and make sense of challenging patient encounters (Stilos & Burgoyne, 2021).
Enhance Self-Awareness & Mindfulness: The reflective nature of writing fosters self-compassion, reduces cognitive fatigue, and helps prevent burnout (Loy & Kowalsky, 2024).
Reclaim Human Agency & Recovery: Narrative expression provides a dedicated space for identity, personal voice, and emotional integration in demanding clinical environments (King et al., 2012).
Deepen Empathy: Translating patient or clinician experiences into narrative deepens perspective-taking, enriching human connection and communication in clinical practice (Loy & Kowalsky, 2024).
Conclusion & Practice Integration: Creative writing is far more than a leisure pursuit—it is an evidence-informed self-care strategy that supports psychological longevity in oncology (Loy & Kowalsky, 2024; Stilos & Burgoyne, 2021). Integrating brief reflective writing exercises into multidisciplinary team meetings, debriefs, or personal wellness routines builds emotional resilience, builds community among healthcare teams, and ultimately sustains the compassionate heart of cancer care.