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creative, and actually produce something
tangible. Furthermore, I find that finishing
a piece of art into which I’ve put a lot of
thought and effort is an extremely fulfilling
activity.
Give Me Hope
Vina Nguyen is a medical student in the
class of 2012 at the University of Alberta.
Media: Acrylic and Crayon
Size: 20x16in
Artist’s Statement:
In medicine, we can become caregivers
holding the last source of hope for our
patients. Unfortunately, sometimes we
do not realize that what we say or do can
greatly impact a patient’s quality of life,
their perception of their illness, and their
perseverance to survive and endure difficult
times in their life. In these situations I
find that art can help ground and open
my perception of the world. Art also helps
me realize my biases and misconceptions
before I act upon them, so that I can become
a more connected healer. As healers we
are exposed to a multitude of experiences,
from loss and grief, to anxiety and joy. Art
can help us internalize all these emotional
experiences so that we may learn and grow
from them. In this way, I believe that art
not only nurtures the heart and soul, but it
may also nurture the mind by encouraging
creative, open thinking. Art for me is an
important part of medicine: it satiates my
need for creativity, ensures there is balance
in my life, and exercises my mind to stay
open and understanding.
References
1. Lee, J. & Graham, A. (2001). Students
perception of medical school stress and
their evaluation of a wellness elective,
Medical Education, 35 (7): 652–659.
2. Stringer, K. Personal Interview. 10 August
2011.
3. Root-Bernstein, RS. (1996). The sciences
and arts share a common creative
aesthetic. The Elusive Synthesis: Aesthetics
and Science. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic
Publishers: 49–82.
4. Felix, R. Personal Interview. 12 August
2011.
5. Brett-MacLean, P. (2007) Use of the Arts in
Medical an Health Professional Education.
University of Alberta Health Sciences
Journal, 4 (1): 26-29.
6. Multicultural Health Brokers Co-operative,
www.mchb.org
7. Breton, J. (2011). Birth marks: An artistic
exploration into the medical, personal,
societal, and historical dimensions of
postpartum depression (PPD) through
a collection of sketches, collages, and
journalling. University of Alberta Health
Sciences Journal, 6 (1): 13-14.
8. Brett-MacLean, P., Casavant, M., &
Kennedy, D.Y. (2010). Artists Among
Us: Happiness as an element in health
professionals’ artist statements. Atrium:
The Report of the Northwestern Medical
Humanities and Bioethics Program, 8: 18-
20.
9. Macnaughton, J. (2000). The humanities
in medical education: context, outcomes
and structures. J Med Ethics: Medical
Humanities, 26: 23–30.
10. Art & Humanities in Health & Medicine
(AHHM), www.med.ualberta.ca/Home/
Education/ ArtsHumanities
On the value of narrative reflective practice: A personal reflection
Debbi Andrews, MD
Divisional Director and Associate Professor, Division of Developmental Pediatrics,
Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
Correspondence to Dr. Debbi Andrews: Email: andrewsd@ualberta.ca
In December 2010, I attended a workshop
on Narrative Reflective Practice (NRP)
hosted by the Health Sciences Education and
Research Commons (HSERC) and Centre
for Teaching and Learning (CTL) at the
University of Alberta. The workshop facilitator,
Dr. Hedy Wald from Brown University,
asked participants to prepare and share short
descriptions of their own experiences using
narrative writing exercises with students.
As I started to work on the customary 3-5
Powerpoint slides, I realised that there was very
little reflection involved in what I was proposing
to present, just a bone-dry list of what was done.
This didn’t capture the experience of facilitating
an NRP session, and I doubted it would spark
any reflection in the workshop group. I deleted
the slides and took out a pen. The following
is my own narrative reflection that I read to
the group.
I am no orator, but I am a writer. I choose
today to talk about my own experience in
teaching and facilitating narrative practice in
the form of a read narrative.
For the past two years I have facilitated
small group narrative reflective practice
sessions for first year medical students as
part of their Patient-Centred Care course. 1
These sessions are part of an initiative to
insert exercises in reflection at key points
during medical school and residency at the
University of Alberta. The themes presented
in the first year include professional identity,
professionalism and biomedical ethics. Later
the students have opportunities to reflect on
their encounters with patients and staff in
clinics and on the hospital wards. I confess
that I was initially drawn to participating
in these sessions for somewhat selfish
reasons—I am a writer and wanted a way to
integrate my own writing background with
teaching. Now, because of two very different
experiences in facilitating these groups
from last year to this one, I am even more
committed to the importance of reflective
writing in medical training. I have a better
understanding of what the act of writing can
mean for achieving understanding. Let me
explain what I mean.
The students’ assignment was to write, then
share aloud, a one page narrative on the
topic of medical identity—what it means
to become a doctor, both as a general
process and how this might apply to them
as individuals. For each session the writing
prompt was a film that was viewed by the
entire first year medical class, followed by
a faculty panel who reflected on some of
the issues from the film and an interactive
question and answer session. Afterwards,
the students wrote their own brief reflective
responses to the film, and then, two days
later they shared those reflections in
facilitated small groups.
University of Alberta Health Sciences Journal • April 2012 • Volume 7 • Issue 1 21
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