This paper provides an overview of an innovation using drama-based workshops which have been embedded into undergraduate nursing curriculum in a Higher Education Institute in the United Kingdom (UK). Drama techniques are gaining increasing recognition in nursing education particularly around the way in which they can support the learning of communication and interpersonal skills in a multi-sensory approach.

The drama-based workshops have become embedded in the nursing curriculum alongside nursing clinical simulations. The workshops use techniques from physical theatre with an emphasis on “care” that are aligned to the specific learning outcomes of the clinical simulation.

The workshops were developed across all years of the curriculum in response to student feedback which demonstrated how drama can enable students to develop self-awareness, empathy, communication skills and self-care.

The Drama based workshops have enabled students the opportunity to explore and reflect on their own interpersonal communication as well as the embodiment of care to their patients, colleagues and themselves.