Art is Good for Doctors? No way

The New York Times has done an interesting article related to the humanities and doctors. Apparently, many medical schools are adding, or are thinking of adding, a humanities component to their curriculum. This is because it has been shown that exposure to the humanities makes better doctors. The article gives the example of how an AMA study found that looking at paintings or sculptures improves observational skills. The art instructor at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Rebecca Hirschwerk, also believes that art can give a doctor something special.

I can't think of many places outside art where you can be in a moment, and just look, for as long as you can take it. Think about what it would be like if you were with a patient and could freeze the moment to really pay attention to everything that patient was trying to tell you. It's hard to do when you have only 15 minutes with patients, 20 times a day.

I think that in addition to the actual “skills” one can obtain from the humanities, they simply make someone a better person. The entire objective of the humanities is to make a person more humane. That is certainly a quality every patient wants in their doctor. Plus, if your entire life is just science 24 hours a day, it must be pretty dull, even if you are a doctor or pre-med student.

One of the medical students at Sinai, Komal Kapoor-Katari, summed it up best:

It sort of reminds me of life before medical school, back when you were still a regular person.

Remembering to be a “regular person” is what, I think, makes the best doctor sometimes.

At Some Medical Schools, Humanities Join the Curriculum
[NY Times]