Plastic surgeons go through years of training to understand anatomy, medicine and health procedures, but more than others in the medical field, their practice is inextricably linked to aesthetics. So it may come as no surprise that a group of soon-to-be plastic surgeons at the University of Lincoln are supplementing their medical expertise with a course that involves drawing and sculpting, according to the BBC.

The class, titled the Art of Reconstruction, is divided into three sections – self-portraiture, life drawing and clay modeling. But the classes aren’t your run-of-the mill art lessons - instead they are tailored to be applicable to plastic surgery, in particular procedures dealing with the head, neck and breasts.

“My job is to introduce aesthetic principles and aesthetic judgments, which may improve their perceptual and observational skills,” professor Michael Esson, who created and teaches the class, told the news source. “The idea is that they can maybe apply these principles to their surgical practice.”

During the courses, students must learn how to draw the human face by splitting its composition into four sectors, or construct a realistic human breast from clay. During the latter lesson, Esson encourages students to look at the breast from above, as though they were the patient, to understand all of the unique perspectives that go into an aesthetically pleasing and symmetrical breast implant. Students say the course helps them to view their work as an artist would.

“Yesterday we did clay modeling and I thought I’d done a good job until I turned around, I went around to the side, as mostly artists do, and then I noticed a huge gap,” student Emma Caroline Fernandez told the BBC.

Patients who are considering undergoing plastic surgery also need to have a good perspective on what outcomes can be expected. Viewing before and after photos is an effective way to gauge what results may be attainable, according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.