Last week at our Academic Half Day, we discussed the benefits of exposing medical professionals to art and the process of making art. I briefly covered how these activities engage the right brain and boost creativity and innovation. The observation of art may also improve your visual literacy. These skills are in demand and desired in our image-based environment of medicine.
This concept is currently exercised in a variety post-secondary institutions and organizations including Harvard, Yale, McMaster University, Boston University, and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. UBC has recently followed suit with its own elective course “Rounding at the Belkin.”
I want to encourage both Preceptors and Residents to join me in visiting places and spaces that will ignite our right brains! We will embark on this journey with our first visit to the NEW Audain Art Museum in Whistler, British Columbia on Sunday, August 21st. I’ve secured us a group rate of $15/per person. We will also have access to Studio Sunday! This opportunity will allow us to get our hands dirty and work on drawing Characters and Caricatures. We leave Abbotsford at 6:00 a.m.!
Families are invited! I can fit 4 individuals in my car. If you want to ride with me, let me know!
Cheers!
Jacqueline
Learn more on the topic here:
How Arts Education Can Help Create Better Doctors by Adriana Barton
Observation: The Importance of Art in Medicine by Susan Ge
Perspective: Acts of Interpretation: A Philosophical Approach to Using Creative Arts in Medical Education by Arno Kumagai
To Create Better Doctors, Cultivate Their Creative Side by Tom Jacobs
UBC Family Practice Residency Program: Abbotsford-Mission Site 