The last few years have seen a rise in medical humanities as a recognized interdisciplinary field. But the tradition of melding medicine with humanities is a long one (think William Carlos Williams or John Keats), and it will likely continue to be important as long as there is a human on either end of healthcare.
Some may be surprised to learn that only about half of physicians studied biological science prior to entering medical school, and an unexpected number majored in English.
Many more clinicians turn to the arts during or after their training as a way to process their experiences and combat burnout. Doximity has spoken with clinician novelists, poets, podcasters, visual artists, and musical screenwriters in our Beyond the Bedside Op-Med series.
Last week, Dr. Peter Chai started a Twitter thread about his own experience studying the arts before becoming a physician.
People say you can't study the arts and then become a doctor. I beg to differ. I was an art history major, wrote a thesis in portable mongolian nomadic art. Now i'm an ED doc and toxicologist.
— Peter Chai (@PeterRchai) May 9, 2018
Several fellow former humanities majors chimed in with their unique thesis topics…
I was a Classics major and wrote a senior thesis on satire in Ancient Roman literature. On Monday I will graduate from medical school. It can be done! #medicine #humanities
— Drew Zebley (@Drewmergency) May 10, 2018
Italian literature major. Thesis on Boccaccio! #wellroundeddocs
— Emily M (@DrEgorr) May 10, 2018
BA Art History w/concentration Impressionism, then MSPH Epidemiology & Global Health, now Gen Peds _____________________ #ILookLikeADoctor
— Dr. Kat Duncan (@DrKatDuncan) May 11, 2018
I was an art history major as well! Wrote my thesis on photography during South African apartheid!
— Luba (@Luba_Reads) May 12, 2018
…and how their non-science majors prepared them for their careers in medicine.
BFA in ballet here and now an Ob/Gyn. Arts helps to come up with creative solutions and out of the box thinking.
— Shanna Combs (@drshannacombs) May 11, 2018
Chem prof on premed committee @ my undergrad: how can a Political Science degree prepare you for Med school?
— Jason Arthur (@jarthurEM) May 10, 2018
Me: How would field ecology prepare me? Poli sci taught me to analyze information & synthesize ideas to work towards common goals despite differing views.
Him:fair point
My wife and I both work in the peds ED. I majored in biology, she in Spanish. No secret which proves more useful on a daily basis. (Hint: not science)
— Chris Merritt (@Chris_Merritt) <a href="https://twitter.com/Chris_Merritt/status/995039438467223554?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 11, 2018
It turns out you might not even need to take the MCAT to be a successful medical researcher.
I'm an English major who never took the MCATs who's writing a K award. #HuMed @MountSinaiNYC
— Alex Hogan, MD, MS (@AlexHoganMD) May 11, 2018
Did you have a non-traditional path to healthcare? Do you have a creative side you want to share? Tell us about it in the comments!
Also check out our new medical humanities series that allows Doximity members to share their creative work and explore what it means to them and their medical careers.
