Why This Class?

The correlation between learning and visual arts were already proven way back in the

early childhood education.  The preschool learning utilizes pictures through identification of

colors, shapes and texture for expressing, communicating, mediating their thinking, and

engaging in aesthetic exploration. It has been established that visual arts support children to

develop their metacognitive capacities (Probine, 2018). For years, visual art experiences were

already used to improve professional nursing students' observational and communication skills,

and narrative sequencing abilities. This qualitative study of Shapiro, Rucker, and Beck (2006)

found that training the clinical eye and mind were effective in teaching observational and pattern

recognition skills. Over a six-month period, the authors invited 38 third year nursing students

divided into two in small group trainings; one group involving case studies with photographs and

the other, using dance and art. The results were astounding. With further research, the results of

this study strongly suggest that employing a wide range of visual arts methods can bring greater

texture to the process of teaching clinical medicine and help us see a more complete picture of

the patient (Shapiro, et al, 2006).

The second article however, focused more on the perceptual aptitude which is believed to

be a more complex skill essential in nursing practice. Honan et al (2016) assessed 23 graduating

nursing students through the use of pretest–posttest design and evaluated the effectiveness of the

art and music program. Two interventions were made. The visual intervention was done by

spending 3 hours in LA County Gallery of Arts and the grouped students were asked to describe

a certain painting. The second intervention, the auditory phase, consisted of a 3-hour aural

training on pitch, timbre, rhythm, and masking of sounds similar to heart, bowel and breath
sounds. The study revealed that the use of art in a museum improves observational and

assessment abilities, and music training increases auscultative interpretive skills significantly.

I can say that both studies, although different in their approaches, produced similar

results that students in the medical professions can effectively be taught visual observation skills

through the use of any form of art. This will be proven with more studies like that of one

research that stated "Art is a powerful tool for teaching, and this program helped nurses and

doctors become more adept at observation and encouraged them to move away from making

assumptions" (DePaul University, 2015).

I never knew I am going to encounter an Arts Class in nursing until I saw this subject in

the course offerings of my nursing education. As of this writing, I discovered its importance in

the medical field since there is growing evidence to suggest that integrating the arts into nursing

courses can have powerful outcomes. I am optimistic that this class will serve its purpose in

developing my observational and communication skills. I also expect that this class will improve

my critical thinking and decision-making skills through enhanced observation using all my

senses. This will be a useful tool to hone my skills as to how I will view my patient objectively

rather than subjectively.

 References

DePaul University. (2015, March 31). Art helps nursing, medical students strengthen observation

skills. ScienceDaily. Retrieved from

www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/03/150331175808.htm

Honan, Shealy, Fennie, Duffy, Friedlaender, Del Vecchio. “Looking Is Not Seeing and Listening

Is Not Hearing: A Replication Study with Accelerated BSN students.” Journal of

Professional Nursing, May 2016. Retrieved

from http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2016.05.002

Probine, S. (2018). An introduction to the visual arts in early childhood education. The

Education Hub. https://theeducationhub.org.nz/an-introduction-to-the-visual-arts-in-

early-childhood-education/

Shapiro, J., L. Rucker, and J. Beck. "Training the Clinical Eye and Mind: Using the Arts to

Develop Medical Students' Observational and Pattern Recognition Skills." Medical

Education 3 (2006): 263-268. Retrieved

from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16483329