How Medical Students Use Art Analysis to Improve Patient Care

FORT WORTH – For medical student Jenna Williamson, a tour of the Kimbell Art Museum helped hone her observation skills and gave her a deeper understanding of patient care.

“If you take the time to sit down, be patient, listen and watch – kind of like how we did with the artwork – you could understand so much more about a person, their motivations and how you can help,” said Williamson, a first-year medical student at the Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine at Texas Christian University.

Williamson was one of several students who took part in the Burnett School of Medicine Physician Communication team’s multi-part series on the relationship between art and medicine.

For the second year, medical students, faculty and staff attended the “Introduction to Art Medicine” tour at the Kimbell Art Museum to discover how an analytical eye translates across both art history and patient care.

While it’s important for our students to learn the curriculum and sciences, it’s “also important that they take time away from the classroom and look at other parts of the world,” said Heather Hale Nguyen, Director of Humanities and Communication.

The guided tour was designed to sharpen observation skills and to encourage the aspiring physicians to slow down when caring for patients, she said.

“I think art will make me a better physician,” Williamson said. “It will help me to take my time and listen well to patients.”