Transformative experiences at art museums to support flourishing in medicine
Sean Tackett, Lauren Eller, Samuel Scharff, Kamna S. Balhara, Kaitlin Stouffer, Melissa Suchanek, Sarah L. Clever, Philip Yenawine, Suzy Wolffe, Margaret S. Chisolm
Abstract
PURPOSE: We implemented and evaluated a hybrid 4-week arts-based elective for clinical medical students to support flourishing. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Five students participated in early 2022. Twelve sessions occurred in-person at art museums and other cultural centers, and five occurred online. Sessions incorporated varied arts-based learning activities, including Visual Thinking Strategies, a jazz seminar, and a mask-making workshop. We evaluated the course via weekly reflective essays, interviews 6 weeks after the course, and pre-post surveys that included four scales with clinical relevance: capacity for wonder (CfW), tolerance for ambiguity (TFA), interpersonal reactivity index, and openness to diversity. RESULTS: Qualitatively, the course helped learners: 1) reconnect with individual characteristics and interests that had been neglected during medical education; 2) better appreciate others' perspectives; 3) develop identities as physicians; and 4) engage in quiet reflection, renewing their sense of purpose. Quantitatively, pre-post mean totals increased for the CfW (32.0 [SD 6.8] vs 44.0 [SD 5.7], p=.006) and TFA scales (16.4 [SD 5.2] vs 24.2 [SD 6.9], p=.033). CONCLUSIONS: This elective facilitated learners' connecting with themselves, others, and their profession with improvement in clinically-relevant measures. This provides further evidence that arts-based education can foster professional identity formation and be transformative for students.