Creativity @ Medical School

 

Art plays an important role in human flourishing and is a valuable resource in medical education. 

We should think of the arts as an activity that changes our biology, emotional state, and enhances our wellbeing. 

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We learn better faster and better retain information in sensory rich environments, when we feel relaxed, are enjoying the experience and the knowledge feels salient.  

The use of art in teaching can create more salient experiences promoting neuroplasticity and amplifying the social, emotional and cognitive elements of learning.  

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Here is what has been happening at Hull York Medical School (HYMS) using arts resources in undergraduate education. 

 

Gateway Year (A widening participation initiative)

Session 1 – The Art of Illness

Using film, music, poetry and visual images we explored the illness perspective of patients.

Here are the resources.

Here are the students’ perspectives of the session.

Do you think art resources can play a role in your medical education? 

13 (n=15) said YES

2 (n=15)  said MAYBE

Please write a few words to describe your experience of using art resources to help you learn about the patient’s experience of illness 

Very insightful and allows you to think about medicine in a different way  
Informative, interesting 
Interesting and eye opening! 
Surprising and inspiring   
I found it insightful using art resources to learn more about illness and how it can affect patient/ people. It helps to gain a new perspective. 
Stress relief 
I thought it was a really creative way of showing illness  
Calm, relaxing, connected 

Session 2 – Connecting Through Words  

Using words, poetry and postcard images we explored the power of story and words in medicine. 

We discussed these poems:

Too Heavy Julia Darling
The D Words Rachel McCoubrie
The Way I See It Rachel McCoubrie
Story Water Rumi

Inspired by this six word poem (attributed to Ernest Hemmingway) 

For sale 
Baby shoes 
Never worn 

Students selected a post card and wrote their own poem which they shared with the group.

For sale 
A house 
Not a home 

Here are the student’s perspectives of the session.

Do you think art resources can play a role in your medical education? 

16 (n=17) said YES

1 (n=17)  said MAYBE

Please write a few words to describe your experience of using art resources to help you learn about how we use words to connect with patients.

Fun  
Enjoyable  
Interactive  
Insightful, perspective, interesting 
It helps you feel human. You realise that you’re treating people and you need to connect with them. 
Very enjoyable lesson. Helps to convey how we can use art to describe personal experiences of illness 
It was very knowledgeable, and helped me picture a story in my head and make me feel more empathetic and understanding  
It makes me feel hopeful and looking forward to listening to patient’s stories but also being part of their story. 
Using art enables you to think outside of the walls of clinical knowledge, to remember to see the whole person and to find different mediums which appeals more to the patient 
Very interesting & enjoyable. A lovely change of perspective from the clear cut approach of the more clinical, scientific lectures. Very helpful for future practice.  
I LOVED TODAYS LESSON. I was able to get a new perspective on uni, my future career as a doctor and even my personal life. I am so thankful for todays lesson and genuinely had a lot of fun in the process! 
I feel inspired by the relation of art to medicine. I learned that there are many other ways to communicate with in medicine than I knew. 
I really enjoyed. Particularly the poems etc. It offered a very insightful and different perspective on medicine 

 

SSIP (Scholarship and Special Interest Programe

Year 2 SSIP (2024 & 2025) 

How is the role of the portrayed in art? 

Here are examples of the resources the students chose to use in their research in 2024. 

The Doctor Luke Fildes (painting)
The Ward Round Simon Black (painting)
The Fortunate Women Polly Moorland (book)
This Going to Hurt Adam Kay (book and TV drama) 
Dailies of a Junior Doc (Sudanese Webcomic) 
The Healer Magritte (painting)

Link to many of the resources discussed.

In addition to the mandatory presentation and essay here are poems written by two students taking part in the SSIP. 

 

Unfinished

In the silence of night, the doctor awakes, 
To heal the sick, whatever it takes. 
In a world where life and death collide, 
They stand as beacons, souls to guide. 
From births first cry to deaths last breaths, 
They carry out their duties without protest. 
Though life doesn’t always go as planned, 
With empathy, with diligence, they lend a hand. 
So do think carefully about that apple a day. 
It’s not always best to keep the doctor away. 

By 

to fill

Year 3 SSIP (2024-25) 

How do the arts help doctors understand the illness perspective of patients? 

Here are examples of the resources the students chose to use in their research in 2024/25. 

Coming soon.