Arts-based learning in medical education: the students' perspective

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Arts in Medicine
• Professional Skills Development

Background:

• Medical curricula increasingly incorporate arts to address non-scientific aspects of healthcare.
• Limited research exists on medical students' experiences with arts-based teaching.
• The 'Performing Medicine' program uses professional artists to enhance medical students' skills.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze medical students' experiences with the 'Performing Medicine' arts program.
• To evaluate the impact of arts-based teaching on professional skills and understanding.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative analysis of student-written reflections and feedback from three academic years (2006-2009).
• Thematic analysis and word frequency analysis were employed.

Main Results:

• Five key themes emerged: 'Acting like a doctor,' 'Developing broader awareness of others,' 'The self in focus,' 'The art of communication,' and 'A place for arts-based teaching.'
• Corpus linguistic analysis supported and expanded upon the identified themes.

Conclusions:

• Students perceived arts teaching as a valuable addition to the medical curriculum.
• The program was seen to reduce performance anxiety and foster camaraderie.
• Arts-based sessions improved students' ability to relate to diverse individuals and enhanced communication skills.