Training the Clinical Eye and Mind: Using the Arts to Develop Medical Students’ Observational and Pattern Recognition Skills

Johanna Shapiro, Lloyd Rucker & Jill Beck

Observation, including identification of key pieces of data, pattern recognition, and interpretation of significance and meaning, is a key element in medical decision making. Clinical observation is taught primarily through preceptor modelling during the all-important clinical years. No single method exists for communicating these skills, and medical educators have periodically experimented with using arts-based training to hone observational acuity. The purpose of this qualitative study was to better understand the similarities and differences between arts-based and clinical teaching approaches to convey observation and pattern recognition skills.

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Supplementary Materials

Summary: Themes from The Gaze Project

Training the Clinical Gaze: Arts/Clinical Reasoning Interventions Follow-up Questions

Gaze Appendix