Blending aesthetics and empirics: teaching health assessment in an art gallery.

An art gallery was used successfully as a clinical laboratory for nursing students studying health assessment. Art galleries provide students with a visually rich and stimulating environment that can support the development of astute visual inspection skills. Working in pairs, students examined artwork incorporating design elements common to both physical assessment and artistic inquiry. Students described new learning and clinical application through this innovative laboratory experience. Uniting traditionally empirical coursework with an aesthetic learning opportunity is important in the development of caring, humanistic professionals.