• Painting
• reflection
• medical education
• undergraduate
• art and medicine

Medical authorities around the world are increasingly focusing on the role of reflection in enabling doctors to mature as practitioners. Reflection has been recognised as an important competency in medical education, valuable for effective communication, good physician–patient relationships and accurate gathering of clinical information.1

Although different methods are used for teaching reflection, it remains a challenge for every medical educator. However, over the past 2 decades, the arts have been incorporated into medical humanities programs. For instance, paintings have served to enhance observational skills,2 improve diagnostic skills,3 increase attention span when listening to patients4 and deepen compassion for suffering.5

The standard Israeli medical school program consists of a traditional 6-year curriculum with an additional year of rotating internship. The program is usually composed of 3 years of basic sciences followed by 3 years of clinical clerkships. Internal medicine is a part of the clinical sciences curriculum in the Rappaport Faculty of Medicine in the Technion and is part of the 4th year course.

A 3-h workshop was designed to enhance students' reflective competence in the context of the physician–patient relationship. All 4th year medical students …