The medicine nursing leadership team (12A, 14ABCD, 16AB) got a rare moment in November to participate in a team-building event at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, led by the Center for Visual Arts in Healthcare team, which was co-created and led by Dr. Joel Katz and Brooke DiGiovanni Evans at BWH.

The group’s goals were aimed at training health care teams in visual arts methods to build essential skills in humanistic health care, including empathy, teamwork, respect, and curiosity; enhance critical thinking, diagnostic analysis, communication skills and cultural understanding; and improve the lives of health care workers through opportunities for self-care, reflection, social connections and creativity.

For example, one activity asked the team to observe the museum’s beautiful courtyard and create poems based on their five senses. It was a memorable activity for team bonding and a break from patient care activities.

Here are our team poems about the courtyard describing our visions and insights in a collaboratively constructed poem.

Protected Beauty
Virgin Beauty
Cold Vibes
In Vibrant Color
with Peaceful Vitality

—Pam Linzer, Kate Callahan and Linda Delaporta

***

Autumnal Peace
Sounds of waterfall renews your soul.
The brightly muted autumnal scene brings you calm and peace;
The watchful eyes of the statutes appear in awe of the surroundings like the guests;
The soothing tranquil light allows you to reflect, if just for one moment;

—Marie Swain Price, Jennifer Cartright and Maria Daveiga Etheart

***

Meditative Whispers
Meditative whispers, the calming sounds of the waterfall;
Bring peace together;
Falling into the wonderous tranquility of the golden hour.

—Ruth Jones, Daphnee Souvenir and Jill Osborne

Pamela Linzer, PhD, NEA-BC, RN
Associate Chief Nursing Officer, Medicine and the Center for Nursing Excellence