This is a picture of Andreas Vesalius’s anatomical work that was finished in 1543 found in a medical textbook that I discovered in the library on the Portland Campus. The work depicts all of the muscles of the human stature, which is a foundational topic in anatomy and physiology. Anatomy and physiology is the foundation of a nurses knowledge. It is important to gain a solid understanding of anatomy in order to fully grasp the topics later covered in nursing school. When I am learning new information in class I constantly relate that information back to knowledge gained in anatomy. It is a necessity to think of how a nursing intervention or described condition will affect the rest of the structures of the body in as much detail as you can, or conduct research related to anatomy to figure out the effects that the nursing intervention will have. Although this depiction is physiologically accurate and pays close attention to detail in regards to the location of all of the muscles shown, the fact that the artist’s personal decision to convey the subject of anatomy in the form of a statue glorifies anatomy as an art form. In my opinion, it certainly underscores the importance of anatomy, specifically the importance of anatomy in the context of thinking like a nurse. In general, I consider nursing to be an art almost as much as I consider it as a science because, as artists put their own personal touch on all of their works, nurses put their own unique, personal touch in the ways in which they provide care to their patients. Much of the techniques learned in nursing is guided by protocol, but there is no protocol to providing compassionate and empathetic care. Each nurse must find their own, unique, abstract way to exhibit those qualities with their patients. Each nurses personality traits are reflected in the way in which they speak with their patients, go about their assessments, and coordinate care between other members of the healthcare team. There are many right answers to interacting with patients, but there are subtle differences between each method. The beautiful part is that each nurses personal method of providing care are all smaller components of the overarching goal to help care for patients through some of the worst situations that life can offer.