Art-making and professional identity formation in healthcare trainees: a narrative review

Abstract

Professional identity formation (PIF) is the critical process that individuals undergo during formal training to become professionals in their chosen field. The development of a strong professional identity among healthcare trainees is associated with improved well-being, reduced burnout, increased motivation among trainees and better trainee retention rates. Healthcare educators are increasingly recognizing the role that the arts and humanities can play in PIF. However, the role of art-making or creative activities on PIF appears less well studied. The aim of this review is to investigate the impact of art-making activities on PIF among healthcare trainees. An independent review of literature was undertaken from January 2003 to July 2024 using Medline, PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus and included articles involving healthcare trainees and professionals, various forms of art and PIF. An independent thematic analysis was conducted to investigate the relationship between art-making activities and PIF in healthcare trainees. The four key elements of the Prism Model for Integrating the Arts and Humanities Into Medical Education was incorporated to guide the examination of the effects of art-making on PIF. Five key themes were revealed, namely reflection and expression, safe spaces, positive creativity, enriched learning and awareness and advocacy. Art-making activities were found to facilitate self-reflection, emotional expression, collaboration, creativity and empathy among trainees. There is a dearth of literature regarding the role and responsibilities of healthcare training institutions in the development of PIF, including the use of art-making. This review also identified a lack of systematic and evidence-based information on the efficacy of introducing an art-making component to the curriculum. This narrative review further identified gaps in existing knowledge and areas for further investigation.