Can Museums Help Reduce Burnout Rates Among Junior Doctors?

Burnout among junior doctors is reaching crisis levels. Long hours, intense pressure, and emotional exhaustion are pushing many to the brink, with one in seven junior doctors reporting symptoms of burnout. The consequences are severe: diminished mental health, reduced patient care quality, and a healthcare system under strain.

But what if the answer to reducing burnout lies not in another workshop or wellness app, but in the quiet halls of a museum?

At the Museums, Health & Well-Being Summit, Sander Daams, Head of the Educational Department at the Groningen Museum, and Dr Edwina Doting from the University Medical Centre Groningen (UMCG), unveiled an innovative programme designed to tackle burnout head-on—through art.

Why Are Junior Doctors Burning Out? And Why Should Museums Care?

Junior doctors face enormous challenges every day—gruelling schedules, emotionally draining interactions, and life-or-death decisions under immense pressure. These factors contribute to alarmingly high burnout rates, with ripple effects felt across the entire healthcare system.

Dr Edwina Doting, a clinical microbiologist at UMCG and advocate for integrating art into healthcare spaces, highlighted that burnout doesn’t just affect doctors—it affects patients. Mistakes increase, care quality drops, and empathy dwindles.

So, why should museums care? Because research shows that exposure to art can reduce anxiety, improve emotional resilience, and foster a sense of calm. Museums, often thought of as places for leisure and education, are quietly emerging as powerful spaces for healing.

How an Unlikely Partnership is Changing Lives

The Groningen Museum and UMCG have partnered to design a unique stress-reduction programme tailored specifically for doctors-in-training. This initiative builds on years of experience from both institutions in using art as a tool for well-being.

The Groningen Museum has already worked with vulnerable groups, including people with dementia, the visually impaired, and isolated international students. Their success in creating meaningful connections through art provided the foundation for this groundbreaking partnership.

Dr Doting, who also serves on UMCG’s art committee, described how carefully chosen artwork displayed in hospital spaces has already shown measurable results in reducing staff and patient stress.

Inside the Stress-Reduction Art Programme for Junior Doctors

So, what does this programme actually look like? It’s not about passively walking through a gallery—it’s about deep engagement, reflection, and teamwork.

• Slow Looking Sessions: Doctors-in-training are guided to focus on just two or three artworks, spending time observing details and reflecting on emotions.
• Team-Building Through Art: Activities like collaborative sketching encourage trust, active listening, and problem-solving.
• Empathy Workshops: Doctors are encouraged to step into the shoes of figures depicted in artwork, enhancing their emotional intelligence.
• Creative Expression: Participants are given space and tools to create their own art, offering an emotional release and a sense of accomplishment.

These sessions are held during quiet hours in the museum, ensuring participants can fully immerse themselves without distractions.

The Science Behind Art and Mental Health

This isn’t just feel-good fluff—science backs it up. Studies from Belgium, Canada, and beyond show that art engagement can lower cortisol levels, reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, and even improve physical health markers.

In Montreal, doctors can prescribe museum visits to patients, and in Belgium, similar initiatives are helping healthcare professionals manage stress. The Groningen Museum’s programme takes these proven concepts and tailors them specifically to the needs of junior doctors.

Real Stories, Real Impact

During their talk, Sander Daams shared stories of early pilot participants. One standout example involved a biology student who created a painting inspired by the immune system, viruses, and bacteria. The painting was so impactful that Dr Doting purchased it for her office—and the student went on to pursue art studies alongside biology.

Other participants reported increased empathy, improved communication skills, and a renewed sense of clarity and focus after engaging in the programme.

Can Looking at Art Make You a Better Doctor?

Yes. Slow-looking exercises mirror the skills doctors need when diagnosing patients—careful observation, attention to detail, and drawing conclusions based on evidence. Similarly, team-based art activities improve trust, communication, and collaboration—all essential qualities for effective healthcare teams.

And perhaps most importantly, the programme offers something many junior doctors desperately need: a chance to pause, breathe, and process their experiences in a safe, reflective space.

The partnership offers a useful planning question for museum educators: which parts of an art encounter are relevant to the professional group taking part? The activities described here combine close observation with shared making and discussion, drawing on the museum’s collections while responding to doctors’ working lives. Developing that connection with a healthcare partner can give a programme a clear focus. It also creates a basis for asking participants about their experience, without assuming that an engaging session alone demonstrates a reduction in burnout.

The Groningen partnership interview gives more context on the ambitions that shaped this work.

A Blueprint for the Future of Museum-Healthcare Partnerships

While this programme is still evolving, its potential is clear. The Groningen Museum and UMCG hope their collaboration will become a model for other museums and healthcare institutions worldwide.

As museums continue to redefine their societal roles, initiatives like this demonstrate that their impact can extend far beyond gallery walls. Art isn’t just decoration—it’s a powerful tool for change, resilience, and healing.

Final Thoughts: Can Museums Save Lives?

Sander Daams and Dr Edwina Doting’s presentation underscored a powerful truth: museums have untapped potential to address some of society’s most pressing health challenges.

For junior doctors drowning under pressure, the Groningen Museum offers more than just art—it offers a lifeline.

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For more insights on Health & Well-Being in Museums, join us for the Museums, Health & Well-Being Summit 2025.

This article is based on the presentation “Stress reduction in doctors in training through engagement with Art” by Sander Daams and Dr Edwina Doting at the Museums, Health & Wellbeing Summit 2022, organised by MuseumNext.