Narrative and poetry writing for professional development

Narrative, metaphor and image are habitual forms of making sense of the world and can be powerfully harnessed for professional development. Writing is a particular form of expression and communication that allows practitioners to speedily identify and engage with their most sensitively critical aspects of practice, and forms the basis for critical, confidential, trusted discussion. This article gives underlying theories and dominant practices of reflective writing as a professional development activity. A version of this article was keynote to the inaugural ANZ Association for Medical Humanities Conference, 'Taking heart' in July 2006 in Byron Bay, New South Wales.