How Is Art Used to Train Surgeons? A Survey of 198 Surgery Residency Program Directors

Art engagement during surgical training often occurs informally and is difficult to characterize. The purpose of this study is to understand practices of surgical educators in using visual aids for teaching encounters, if program directors consider artistic aptitude when assessing residency applicants, perspectives regarding the incorporation of art into surgical training, and barriers that may exist toward the development of visual art curricula for surgery residents.

A survey study of all general surgery, orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery, otolaryngology, urology, vascular surgery, and cardiothoracic surgery program directors in the United States was conducted from September 2022 to June 2024.

Responses from 198 program directors indicate that residencies rarely participate in graphic design courses (1.5%), visual abstract training (2.5%), art museum visits (3.5%), drawing activities (6.1%), or art related social events (15.7%). Sixty-six percent reported that they either "often" or "always" draw for patients to explain diagnoses. Forty-two percent considered having drawing skills to be favorable among residency applicants. Seventy-four percent answered that the ability to draw may be related to technical skills. Eighty-two percent considered that the ability to draw the steps of an operation was related to having the ability to perform that same operation. Barriers to incorporating art into training included lack of expertise, time, resources, and evidence.

Resident opportunities to participate in organized art-related activities through their surgery programs are rare, but survey responses indicate that program directors do perceive that there is value in art-related exercises for surgical trainees. Future studies ought to consider the effectiveness of incorporating different types of art-based teaching strategies for resident learning.