Abstract:

The mission of a university exceeds a mere training of specialists to satisfy the current needs of the society – rather, it is also to educate intellectually emancipated persons. Creativity is one of the most important abilities fostered by liberal education; it allows a person to solve global problems, to understand them in the context of other sciences, to communicate and collaborate effectively, to think critically, and to manage risks – i.e. to become a professional generalist successfully participating and creating in multicultural societies, and capable of independently changing his or her professional identity.

An educated person has to be able to interpret information creatively, and to make information-based decisions (American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), 2002). The importance of the fostering of creativity is noted in the Lisbon strategy (the Strategic Framework for European co-operation in education and training. http://ec.europa.eu/education/lifelong-learning-policy/doc28_en.htm). Both of these sources associate creativity not only with arts and culture, but also with education, business, research, and social cohesion. R. Freeland (2004) describes the concept of creativity, defining the following components: hypothesis generation, synthesis, analysis, and knowledge application in different areas. Many authors discussing the importance of creativity in higher education also note the representing feature of creativity – the ability to make unique decisions in new and complex situations (S. Brint, 2002; L. Dudka, 2006; S. Fuller, 2005; I. Pant, B. Baroudi, 2008). According to H. Giroux (2002), J. Trefil (2008), S. Barrie (2006), and D. Grakauskaite – Krakockiene (2006), creativity in modern society is closely associated with processes of economy growth and competition. Active use of acquired knowledge and experience, and effective search for new information are among the most valuable characteristics of competitiveness.

It was approximately 15-20 years ago that universities of "the Eastern Block" countries began to implement liberal education. Creativity is one of the outcomes of liberal education. In a study carried out in Lithuania (Horbacauskiene, 2011), students (approximately 60%) stated that they were creative and capable of thinking critically, whereas teachers (also approximately 60%) claimed that they could not say whether their students were creative.

The problem question of the research: How creativity is evaluated by medical students and the faculty? How do they apply creativity skills in their work?
The aim of the research
To identify the expression of creativity in medical studies for Changing the Learning Techniques.
Research methods:
Case analysis, individual deep interview of university students and teachers who apply creativity in medical studies, and content analysis.

Methodology:
The research methodology of the expression of liberal education in the studies of a specialized university (Horbacauskiene, 2011).

Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or Findings:
The research results showed that medical students and the faculty positively evaluated creativity skills, and related the application of creativity in the studies to the optimization of the learning process. Creative methods allow for an easier achievement of study objectives and a better preparation for professional activities.

Keywords:

Creativity in Medical Studies, Inovation in Medical Studies.