University of New England

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Healthcare and the Arts

Although the majority of liberal arts courses are offered on the University Campus in Biddeford, the Westbrook College Campus, home to the College of Health Professions (CHP), still advocates the liberal and creative arts as a vital part of the academic and social culture.

Not only are some courses in English, history and art offered on the campus, but programs developed by professors Karen Pardue, nursing, and Clay Graybeal, social work, among others, advocate the arts as a vital part of healthcare and utilize them as part of their curriculum.

Karen Pardue, M.S., B.S.N., R.N., B.C., interim director of the Department of Nursing, has developed a program using art as a venue for improving visual inspection or observation skills. Health professions students are asked to view a work of art and discuss all its aspects – the line, color, technique and so on. This observation can be extrapolated to students’ interactions with their patients.

She has presented her approach at various health education conferences and has had several related articles published. In addition, Pardue and several other professors in the College of Health Professions have held a Readers’ Theater program where presenters read from a script (taken from an existing play or novel, or something written specifically for a particular group) that illustrates a particular aspect of health care. After listening to the stories, students are asked questions to generate discussion about the readings and how the health issues in the story impacted the characters.

Pardue said, “One way I teach is to weave and unite the arts with the study of nursing. Theater, poetry, music, paintings and prose, provide nurses with insight about the human experience and are exciting and memorable learning opportunities. Exchanging stories and reflecting on patient narratives help all of us to better understand the experience of health and illness.” 
 
Clay Graybeal, Ph.D., professor of social work, has developed a unique program – the Center for the Arts and Social Transformation (CAST). As part of UNE’s School of Social Work, CAST’s mission is to explore and develop ways the creative arts deepen our understanding of the human condition, to raise public awareness and stimulate public dialogue on critical social issues, and to expand and enrich the conception of health and human services.

Through CAST, Graybeal has written and produced several plays, among them “The Calling,” and “Shadow Souls,” which have been performed at UNE and elsewhere including video presentations at national social work conferences. Graybeal said, “Through this artistic voice I’ve discovered that art is a great way to stimulate really meaningful conversations – people are typically moved more by a great work of art than a piece of data.”

CHP students themselves sometimes pursue the arts outside of their studies. One such student is Phillip Stange, PA ’06, who is an accomplished pianist. Stange, a former science major who is now pursuing his physician assistant degree at UNE, began playing piano at age 13, and is mostly self-taught. He played for church while he was in college and while he enjoyed it tremendously, he decided to pursue a career in medicine that would involve working directly with people.

Although his studies and clinical rotations take up most of his time, Stange said, “Playing the piano, pursuing the arts, allows me a reprieve from my medical studies and allows me to relax and clear my mind.” He added, “The arts are very important to the medical profession – music uplifts and has a holistic effect on patients.”

He has played in the area at assisted living homes, churches, and was even the guest pianist at UNE’s President’s Circle Gala last June.

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