ABSTRACT
Illustrated by the case of a medical college in western China, this paper summarizes the problems in the construction and implementation of art education courses, and the actual needs of medical students for integrating art education to the medical education. In response to the major problems existing in the art education curriculum of medical schools, we propose that art education should integrate the four dimensions of "motivation, thinking, understanding and emotion" into the "New Medical Science" education reform. It is proposed to play the function of art education and stimulate students' learning motivation, innovation kinetic energy and professional motivation; improve students' ideological and moral awareness; strengthen students' perception of the times and life; cultivate students' true emotions of loving themselves and patients. Within the existing framework of medical professional education, the art-based elective courses and the "multi-disciplines" are effectively connected, and the art course system is rationally constructed; the content and evaluation of art education courses are optimized, and a reasonable evaluation system is made; the art practice orientation of the whole process of medical students' learning is stressed and a guarantee system is established. Effective implementation of the functions of the four dimensions of art education can break the barriers of the curriculum system, and take advantages of the professional, systematic and functional of art education in medical education.