This arts-based series explores how the arts can enhance key competencies for healthcare professionals, such as empathy, communication, collaboration, and adaptability. Through experiential learning in activities like singing, conducting, drum circles, and visual art analysis, participants will develop practical skills to improve interpersonal communication and teamwork. Each unit is designed to address identified practice gaps in healthcare, particularly in fostering inclusivity and cultural humility. By connecting artistic practices with medical practice, learners will enhance their observational, non-verbal, and emotional communication skills, ultimately leading to better patient outcomes and a more collaborative, inclusive clinical environment.
All programs are in-person - You can choose which time and location you would like to attend, either at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center (12-1PM) or UNCSA (6-7PM).
We look forward to seeing you there!
Registration Fee For Each Program:
- Registration fee is $30, see information below and click through to register or find out all the details.
Credit Offered For Each Program:
- Accreditation: The Wake Forest University School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical
Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
The Wake Forest University School of Medicine designates this live activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™.
Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. - 1.0 Contact Hours from Northwest AHEC Nurses: This educational activity (1.0 contact hour) can be applied toward your continuing competence plan for maintaining your current licensure with the North Carolina Board of Nursing.
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Arts & Medicine: Check Your Pulse and Find Your Groove Tuesday, May 6, 2025 A successful drum circle is an experience where everyone is welcome and leaves feeling empowered. Apprehension is always present at the beginning, and the facilitator’s job is to guide the group through the experience so everyone is participating and contributing to the rhythm regardless of how little music experience they may have. Participants will be guided through a hands-on HealthRHYTHMS drum circle by John Beck and analyze what elements of the experience transfer to the healthcare environment. This activity is designed for physicians, nurse practitioners, APPs, nurses, and other healthcare professionals interested in exploring empathy and communication through art. |
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Arts & Medicine: So, You Want to be a Conductor? Monday, May 12, 2025 What skills are required to lead an orchestra and how does a music director work with their musicians to create a beautiful performance experience for the audience? Winston-Salem Symphony Music Director Michelle Merrill will lead participants in a “conducting 101” class where they will learn the essential skills of baton movement and identify exactly what physical gestures and comments elicit the desired musical responses from the musicians. She will share the secrets of great performances and identify how easily a conductor can disrupt the team of skilled musicians who have differing levels of anxiety about performing. This activity is designed for physicians, nurse practitioners, APPs, nurses, and other healthcare professionals interested in exploring empathy and communication through art. |
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Arts & Medicine: Art and Empathy Wednesday, May 14, 2025 In this workshop, we will look at artwork from the past and present, and explore how artists consider their subjects in their own artistic practice and in the ways they present their work to the world. How to analyze artworks using simple clear language will be demonstrated, and historical context of each artwork will be presented. Students will have the chance to examine artworks and discuss the impact of each work. This activity is designed for physicians, nurse practitioners, APPs, nurses, and other healthcare professionals interested in exploring empathy and communication through art. |
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Arts & Medicine: Come Out of the Shower Thursday, May 15, 2025 This class will encourage participants to “come out of the shower” and sing in front of their peers, no matter their level of experience. Janine Hawley and Luke Payne, faculty members at UNCSA, will guide participants safely through this exciting, if somewhat daunting, experience. After performing a song for the class, Janine and Luke will begin the lesson with a bit of technique, introducing students to exercises for breath management, resonance, and articulation, all helping them understand and connect with the vocal mechanism. Next, working in pairs or trios, participants will learn the song in sections, making special note of the element of collaboration between the singer and guitarist. Moving beyond technique, students will learn to connect with the storytelling aspect of singing, conveying the meaning and emotion embodied in both the text and the music. The hour will conclude with the students performing for each other. This activity is designed for physicians, nurse practitioners, APPs, nurses, and other healthcare professionals interested in exploring empathy and communication through art. |
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Arts & Medicine: Follow the Follower: Adapting Your Communication Thursday, May 19, 2025 Through audience participation and fun, this one-hour workshop expands the understanding of interpersonal communication for medical professionals. Theatre games and improvisational exercises provide participants with the tools they need to identify common pitfalls in communicating with patients, parents, and staff. Learn how to adapt your approach based on assessments of status and verbal & nonverbal communication, allowing you to meet people where they are. Through mirroring and role-playing activities, attendees will recognize their own patterns of behavior, enabling them to better connect with those they interact with in their daily routines. This activity is designed for physicians, nurse practitioners, APPs, nurses, and other healthcare professionals interested in exploring empathy and communication through art. |
Download Program Brochure
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By participating in this arts-based course learners are expected to improve their communication, empathy, collaboration, and teamwork skills. They will develop a greater sense of cultural humility, enabling them to engage with patients and colleagues in ways that respect cultural, social, and individual differences. The goal of this Arts-Based course is to improve the quality of effective communication, empathy, and teamwork for physicians.
These activities are designed for physicians, nurse practitioners, APPs, nurses, and other healthcare professionals interested in exploring empathy and communication through art.
Provided by University of North Carolina School of the Arts and Northwest Area Health Education Center(AHEC), a program of Wake Forest University School of Medicine and part of the NC AHEC System.
