Colouring Inside the Lines: Why Medical Students Should Be Encouraged to Draw More in Surgical Rotations

Art and surgery have long shared a symbiotic relationship, each rooted in observation, precision and creativity. I was reminded of this early as a medical student during my cardiothoracic surgery and general surgery rotations, when I began making 2-min ‘thumbnail’ sketches after cases—just enough lines to capture planes, landmarks and instrument angles. What started as a way to stay focused quickly changed how I saw operative anatomy: messy, layered, dynamic and rarely like the textbook plate. Although drawing has anchored surgical understanding from Vesalius and Da Vinci to Cheselden and Bell, the habit has faded in modern curricula, displaced by digital imaging and largely passive viewing, especially as a medical student in surgical rotations. My experience suggests the opposite approach is both feasible and valuable. Brief, structured sketching sharpened my spatial reasoning and helped me retain operative steps; the gaps in my redraws mapped exactly to the questions I asked on rounds the next morning. Drawing not only refines visual–spatial skills but also promotes deeper cognitive processing and long-term retention—qualities essential for surgical trainees. Despite its proven benefits, many students and clinicians shy away from drawing due to perceived lack of skill, time constraints or undervaluing of artistic learning. Integrating structured drawing exercises and art-based reflection into surgical training may not only enhance anatomical comprehension but also foster mindfulness, empathy and critical observation. Reviving art within surgical education is, therefore, not an indulgence in aesthetics, but an investment in cultivating more perceptive, reflective and precise surgeons.