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Date of Presentation

5-7-2026

Document Type

Poster

Department

Medicine

Faculty Mentor

Craig Uthe, M.D.

Keywords

medical education, visual arts, humanities in medicine, medicine in the arts, observation skills, communication skills

Subject Categories

Medical Education | Medicine and Health Sciences

Abstract

Introduction: In medicine today, physicians are expected to be impartial, emotionally intelligent, and have the observational skills to pick up on and interpret ambiguous body language, skin changes, and hygiene factors which may aid in a diagnosis. However, medical students are often not directly taught these observational or emotional intelligence skills. Art has historically been used by the artist to express thoughts and emotions for themselves and to allow viewers to explore their own feelings. The aim of this course is to provide an opportunity for students to advance their observation and communication skills through the study and creation of artworks while providing an introduction to the use of art as a method for emotional processing.

Methods: The class consisted of eight two-hour sessions during which students had the opportunity to evaluate and discuss an artwork individually and as a class, and the opportunity to experience creating works using a variety of mediums. A short pre/post-course written assessment in which students evaluate an artwork was used to track changes in observational analyses, and weekly post-session surveys were used to assess the administration each session. Subjective data from the written assessments were qualitatively analyzed on a scale from mostly physical descriptions of the artwork to mostly interpretations of observations.

Outcomes: A pre-course and post-course written assessment were obtained from all nine participants in the first year of the course. Responses were assigned a score from one to ten, with one representing a purely physical description of the artwork and ten representing a purely interpretive description. The results from the pre-course (M = 4.11, SD = 2.76) and post-course (M = 6.89, SD = 1.96) show a statistically significant shift toward interpretation of observations at the end of the course, p = 0.006. Student evaluations of the course were also obtained during both the first and second years of the course and responses to questions of time management, quality of instruction, and quality of instructors ranged from “agree” to “strongly agree”.

Conclusions: This course expands on existing humanities education at the Sanford School of Medicine and offers a unique experience through instruction in visual arts. Overall, students responded positively to the course offering and design and the goal of introducing students to emotional processing through art was met through both the discussions surrounding interpretations of artwork and the opportunity for creative outlet in every session. By the end of the course, students began communicating more about their interpretation of an artwork in addition to describing their observations.

Visual Arts and Humanities in Medical Education

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