Artists-in-medicine at the University of New Mexico help nurses remember and renew the values that originally attracted them to the field of nursing. Exploring their nascent creativity through massage, yoga, art, music, and writing, nurses are encouraged to reconnect emotionally and spiritually with themselves, their patients, and fellow healthcare workers.

International literature and experience suggest that arts-based encounters can be effective in reducing stress and burnout in health care workers. Are these principles universal? Are they as applicable and effective in resource-constrained situations in Africa as in other parts of the world? We describe the impact of creative and arts-based encounters on a group of hospice caregivers at South Coast Hospice in KwaZulu Natal. An experienced facilitator built a caring and trusting relationship with the participants over a three month period through a variety of means, including a singing and songwriting intervention specifically designed to empower and give voice to the hospice caregivers, most of whom were Zulu women. We documented the process through several rounds of interviews, extensive field notes, and audio recordings. This article is a reflection on the experience and draws from the interviews, correspondence among researchers, field notes, and a performance piece written by the facilitator one year after completion of the study. We found that the songwriting and other creative activities of the engagement provided affirmation and acknowledgment of the caregivers as well as an opportunity to release stress, grief, and pain. They experienced changes in terms of hope and freedom both for themselves and their patients. The conceptual themes that emerged from the interviews with the caregivers were interpreted in terms of their inherent cultural assets, a release of agency, a sense of revelation, and transformation. The expressive arts can have a significantly beneficial effect on hospice workers and their patients, and clinical engagement can be enhanced through creative encounters, even in resource-constrained situations. If such creative processes were to be promoted among a wider group of health workers, daily routine work in health care could be not just a repetition of well-rehearsed utilitarian rituals but rather a series of creative and transformative encounters.

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Introduction: With growing evidence of compassion fatigue and burnout in health care, it is time for a deeper look at the vital practice of self-care among professionals providing palliative care. The purpose of this study was to provide insights into ways empowerment, caring for self, environment, and building relationships impact well-being among palliative care professionals. Methods: Interpretative descriptive methods framed focus group interviews, conducted during a conference on palliative care integrative health practices held in Thailand. An interprofessional research team used inductive reasoning processes to analyze the interviews. Results: Three themes emerged from the four focus groups ( N = 22): Buddhist Beliefs and Practices, Community-mindedness, and Empowerment. Aspects of spirituality were consistently woven into self-care practices. Discussion: Findings suggest that self-care can be reimagined to include highly personal and unique expressions of spirituality. Health care communities are called to integrate ritual in culturally congruent ways, thus supporting health care professionals to find new sources of meaning, enrichment, and empowerment.

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