Colouring Inside the Lines: Why Medical Students Should Be Encouraged to Draw More in Surgical Rotations.
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| Title: | Colouring Inside the Lines: Why Medical Students Should Be Encouraged to Draw More in Surgical Rotations. |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Kazmi, Syed Abbas Moazzam1 (AUTHOR) syed.abbas24@alumni.aku.edu, Fatimi, Saulat Hasnain2 (AUTHOR), Pasha, Hamdan Ahmed3 (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Clinical Teacher. Aug2026, Vol. 23 Issue 4, p1-4. 4p. |
| Subject Terms: | *Surgical education, *Cognitive psychology, *Medical education, Pen drawing, Mindfulness, Space perception |
| Abstract: | Art and surgery have long shared a symbiotic relationship, each rooted in observation, precision and creativity. I was reminded of this early as a medical student during my cardiothoracic surgery and general surgery rotations, when I began making 2‐min 'thumbnail' sketches after cases—just enough lines to capture planes, landmarks and instrument angles. What started as a way to stay focused quickly changed how I saw operative anatomy: messy, layered, dynamic and rarely like the textbook plate. Although drawing has anchored surgical understanding from Vesalius and Da Vinci to Cheselden and Bell, the habit has faded in modern curricula, displaced by digital imaging and largely passive viewing, especially as a medical student in surgical rotations. My experience suggests the opposite approach is both feasible and valuable. Brief, structured sketching sharpened my spatial reasoning and helped me retain operative steps; the gaps in my redraws mapped exactly to the questions I asked on rounds the next morning. Drawing not only refines visual–spatial skills but also promotes deeper cognitive processing and long‐term retention—qualities essential for surgical trainees. Despite its proven benefits, many students and clinicians shy away from drawing due to perceived lack of skill, time constraints or undervaluing of artistic learning. Integrating structured drawing exercises and art‐based reflection into surgical training may not only enhance anatomical comprehension but also foster mindfulness, empathy and critical observation. Reviving art within surgical education is, therefore, not an indulgence in aesthetics, but an investment in cultivating more perceptive, reflective and precise surgeons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Clinical Teacher is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Education Research Complete |
| FullText | Text: Availability: 0 |
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| Header | DbId: ehh DbLabel: Education Research Complete An: 195498159 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Colouring Inside the Lines: Why Medical Students Should Be Encouraged to Draw More in Surgical Rotations. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Kazmi%2C+Syed Abbas Moazzam%22">Kazmi, Syed Abbas Moazzam</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> syed.abbas24@alumni.aku.edu</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Fatimi%2C+Saulat Hasnain%22">Fatimi, Saulat Hasnain</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Pasha%2C+Hamdan Ahmed%22">Pasha, Hamdan Ahmed</searchLink><relatesTo>3</relatesTo> (AUTHOR) – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Clinical+Teacher%22">Clinical Teacher</searchLink>. Aug2026, Vol. 23 Issue 4, p1-4. 4p. – Name: Subject Label: Subject Terms Group: Su Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Surgical+education%22">Surgical education</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Cognitive+psychology%22">Cognitive psychology</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Medical+education%22">Medical education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Pen+drawing%22">Pen drawing</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Mindfulness%22">Mindfulness</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Space+perception%22">Space perception</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: Art and surgery have long shared a symbiotic relationship, each rooted in observation, precision and creativity. I was reminded of this early as a medical student during my cardiothoracic surgery and general surgery rotations, when I began making 2‐min 'thumbnail' sketches after cases—just enough lines to capture planes, landmarks and instrument angles. What started as a way to stay focused quickly changed how I saw operative anatomy: messy, layered, dynamic and rarely like the textbook plate. Although drawing has anchored surgical understanding from Vesalius and Da Vinci to Cheselden and Bell, the habit has faded in modern curricula, displaced by digital imaging and largely passive viewing, especially as a medical student in surgical rotations. My experience suggests the opposite approach is both feasible and valuable. Brief, structured sketching sharpened my spatial reasoning and helped me retain operative steps; the gaps in my redraws mapped exactly to the questions I asked on rounds the next morning. Drawing not only refines visual–spatial skills but also promotes deeper cognitive processing and long‐term retention—qualities essential for surgical trainees. Despite its proven benefits, many students and clinicians shy away from drawing due to perceived lack of skill, time constraints or undervaluing of artistic learning. Integrating structured drawing exercises and art‐based reflection into surgical training may not only enhance anatomical comprehension but also foster mindfulness, empathy and critical observation. Reviving art within surgical education is, therefore, not an indulgence in aesthetics, but an investment in cultivating more perceptive, reflective and precise surgeons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] – Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of Clinical Teacher is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
| PLink | https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=ehh&AN=195498159 |
| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.1111/tct.70451 Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 4 StartPage: 1 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Surgical education Type: general – SubjectFull: Cognitive psychology Type: general – SubjectFull: Medical education Type: general – SubjectFull: Pen drawing Type: general – SubjectFull: Mindfulness Type: general – SubjectFull: Space perception Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Colouring Inside the Lines: Why Medical Students Should Be Encouraged to Draw More in Surgical Rotations. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Kazmi, Syed Abbas Moazzam – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Fatimi, Saulat Hasnain – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Pasha, Hamdan Ahmed IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 08 Text: Aug2026 Type: published Y: 2026 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 17434971 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 23 – Type: issue Value: 4 Titles: – TitleFull: Clinical Teacher Type: main |
| ResultId | 1 |
