Essentia nurse uses artwork to engage young patients

Hope Midboe saw an opportunity to update artwork in the pediatrics department at the Essentia Health-Duluth Clinic. So the registered nurse commissioned the budding artists she encountered every day — her patients.

And they have delivered.

As kids wait between tests while seeing pediatric pulmonologist Dr. Daniel Beisang, Midboe might give them pastel crayons and a piece of paper. The blank canvases quickly come to life with turtles, puppies, rainbows and monster trucks. Midboe reuses frames from existing artwork and places the colorful drawings throughout the department.

The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. That’s especially true for the young patients whose creativity is on display for everyone to see.

“It’s really cool to see some of them come back and light up as they see their pictures hanging on the wall,” Midboe says. “Some of them are very artistic.”

Midboe has been a nurse at Essentia for almost two years. A mother of three, she knows “what it’s like to bring a child to an appointment.” That is partly why she started encouraging the artwork, to engage patients during what can be longer visits to the clinic. Midboe also uses bubbles and other toys as distractions. Parents appreciate the reprieve.

“This is a great program Hope has started,” Dr. Beisang says. “It is fun to see how excited a patient is when they see their artwork up on the wall. In addition, the creation of this artwork engages patients and their siblings before and during appointments, making those appointments more pleasant for parents and productive for providers.

“It is a small program that has made a big difference in our department.”

Midboe was asked if she is an artist.

“I have no artistic talent myself, but I like to see what they come up with,” she joked. “I love to see how creative they are. Their little minds just open up. They absolutely love it.”

Some of the previous artwork around the clinic was getting a little “dated,” Midboe says. The new pieces brighten up the space, along with visitors’ moods. The variability is impressive. One drawing features a turtle sandwiched between a puppy/mermaid hybrid and an avocado. There are inspiring sayings and more than a few dinosaurs. Trees, sunshine and water are abundant. Much of the art may be described as abstract. All of it, though, serves a purpose — to make people smile.

Midboe’s project has certainly had that effect on the patients she cares for while they see Dr. Beisang.

“I love seeing their reactions; it makes them so happy,” Midboe says. “And seeing their pure happiness makes me happy.”