Introduction Reflection on one's own actions is undoubtedly one of the most important lessons required throughout a career in medicine or pharmacology, due to the series of dilemmas and decisions that health professionals must face when providing care to patients or communities, teaching other professionals, or conducting biomedical research. Given the complexity of the challenge, there is surprisingly little literature on effective pedagogical strategies that enhance ongoing reflection in medical students. This self‐reflection is particularly important in the current moment where in the wake of the COVID‐19 pandemic and the social distancing it has brought, young students have seen reduced opportunities to interact with and learn from others. The practice of journaling is an effective strategy for prioritizing tasks, managing stress, reducing anxiety, and increasing productivity. The objective of this study is to evaluate the usefulness of journaling as an element that promotes better study habits and mental health in students of a medical pharmacology course. Methods Since the second semester of 2020, the pharmacology course (second year of the medical career) has included weekly journaling as part of the course activities. Each week students must choose and reflexively answer 4‐5 questions from a list of 35 items in different domains (emotional and health perception, goals and commitments, study method and habits, learning perception and teamwork). The exercise was graded according to the level of fulfillment of the task (number of items answered in a reflective and timely manner), without criticizing the content of the students' answers. At the end of the semester the students answered a short survey that evaluated their perception of the usefulness of the tool, through Likert‐type questions. Results Most of the students reported that keeping a journal was useful to improve their physical and mental health (57%), organize their homework and assignments (69%), achieve their goals (85%), reflect on their role as a person (77%) or student (88%). In addition, students also agreed that the journal was helpful in increasing their confidence (51%), developing creativity (54%), and strengthening their communication skills (54%). The students' favorite domain for personal reflections was “physical and mental health care”, with 66% of responses. More than 80% of students considered that writing about their goals and commitments, and about their study method and assignments, helped them to better organize their time. Moreover, 83% of students stated that they would like to continue with the habit of keeping a journal to organize their academic activities. Conclusions Students positively valued the journals as a planning tool in their academic tasks. Importantly, students also positively evaluated the value of journaling as a useful tool for maintaining better physical and mental health. This is an important achievement given the emotional stress, anxiety and burn out that many medical students deal with, especially in t...

ID 13618 Poster Board 191 Introduction: Metacognition is one of the most important thinking skills in any area of knowledge. This skill is particularly important in areas such as medicine or pharmacology, where health professionals must make complex decisions when providing care to patients or communities. There is little literature on how to promote, assess, and track metagnition in health sciences students. This self-reflection is especially important after the COVID-19 pandemic, which changed learning and teaching systems for several cohorts of students.Journaling is an effective strategy for self-assessing our actions, mapping out plans, prioritizing tasks, and managing stress and anxiety. Student response systems facilitate the capture of information on student behaviors and knowledge in and out of the classroom. The objective of this study is to evaluate the usefulness of student diaries and student response systems as a strategy to improve productivity, planning, study methods, and mental health of students in a medical pharmacology course.Methods: Over 2 years, since 2021, our medical pharmacology course has formally implemented weekly journaling as part of course activities. At the beginning of the semester students contribute to review and adapt a list of questions about physical and mental health care, meeting goals and commitments, study methods, perception of learning and teamwork. Each week students choose and thoughtfully respond to 4-5 questions from the list in a private forum on the institution's LMS. At the end of the semester students answer a short survey that evaluates their perception of the usefulness of the journals. In addition, during the two semesters of 2022 we are testing the effectiveness of a Student Response System, as a tool to collect information on study strategies, well-being and mental health in medical students. Results:We have collected responses from 143 students, who reported that keeping a journal was helpful in improving their physical and mental health (63%), organizing their homework and assignments (75%), achieving their goals (89%), reflecting on their role as a person (83%) or student (90%). Of the available categories, the topic that students most liked to write about was "taking care of their physical and mental health" (64% of responses). Students felt that writing about their goals and commitments (92%), and about their study method and assignments (83%), helped them to better organize their time. Although 78% of students reported that they liked to reflect on teamwork, only 58% felt that the journals helped them improve the way they worked with colleagues.Conclusions: Students rated the journals positively as a planning tool in their academic tasks and for maintaining their mental health, giving an overall rating of 7.97/10. We are currently analyzing Data Science tools to curate data collected through Student Response Systems to generate a dashboard that facilitates tracking student progress and well-being during an academic semester, and throughout thei...