Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Creativity in Medical Education: The Value of Having Medical Students Make Stuff

  • Published:
Journal of Medical Humanities Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

What is the value of having medical students engage in creative production as part of their learning? Creating something new requires medical students to take risks and even to fail--something they tend to be neither accustomed to nor comfortable with doing. “Making stuff” can help students prepare for such failures in a controlled environment that doesn’t threaten their professional identities. Furthermore, doing so can facilitate students becoming resilient and creative problem-solvers who strive to find new ways to address vexing questions. Though creating something new can be fun, this is not the main outcome of interest. Rather, the principle reason we recommend devoting precious curricular time to creative endeavors is because it helps medical students become better doctors.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Humanities, Penn State College of Medicine, C1743, 500 University Drive, Hershey, PA, 17033, USA

    Michael J Green, Kimberly Myers & Dan Shapiro

  2. Department of Medicine, Penn State College of Medicine, 500 University Drive, Hershey, PA, 17033, USA

    Michael J Green

  3. Medical Humanities & Bioethics Program Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, 750 North Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA

    Katie Watson & MK Czerwiec

  4. Academic Affairs College of Naturopathic Medicine, University of Bridgeport, Health Science Center 60 Lafayette Street, Bridgeport, CT, 06604, USA

    Stephanie Draus

Authors
  1. Michael J Green
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Kimberly Myers
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Katie Watson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. MK Czerwiec
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Dan Shapiro
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Stephanie Draus
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Michael J Green.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Green, M.J., Myers, K., Watson, K. et al. Creativity in Medical Education: The Value of Having Medical Students Make Stuff. J Med Humanit 37, 475–483 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10912-016-9397-1

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10912-016-9397-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation