Presented By: Emily Tran, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Co-Authors: Erica Malone, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

Purpose 
Students in health professions experience a great deal of stress that can negatively impact their performance. Finding a way to actively study that also relieves stress would be ideal for students. This project aims to investigate the use of artistic methods in learning retention and stress levels. 

Methods 
Subjects included volunteer students from both physician assistant and nurse anesthesia programs enrolled in the summer anatomy course at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Data was gathered regarding preferred study methods and stress levels before, during, and after the course. Academic performance was evaluated based on exam scores, and stress levels were measured using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Study habits were evaluated with Likert-scale surveys. 

Results 
Eleven students out of 48 participated in the study. Data from students who participated consistently were evaluated (art = 4, no art = 4). The first and second average PSS score were calculated for each group (art = 14.5, 19.0; no art = 20.5, 19.0). There was no score for the last PSS. The average Likert-score for stress levels was calculated (5 = very stressed) and revealed a significant difference (p = 0.00763): art = 2.0 (SD = 1.1), no art = 0.20 (SD = 0.45). The average grade was calculated and was not significant (p = 0.939): art = 85.00 (SD = 5.66), no art = 84.75 (SD = 2.75). The average grade for the 11 participating students was 84.80 (SD = 3.40). 

Conclusion 
The group of students who made art reported feeling more stressed. There could be underlying factors that contributed to stress levels or influenced participation including perceived creative ability. The primary limitation of this study was the number of participants. Further research should seek larger sample sizes.