Check-In: An Educational Activity to Address Well-Being and Burnout among Pharmacy Students

Abstract

Background: Chronic workplace stress that has not been adequately managed can result in burnout. Healthcare providers; including pharmacists, may be particularly susceptible to this phenomenon, prompting the School of Pharmacy at the University of Waterloo to develop an active-learning activity to teach and reflect on healthcare provider burnout, called Check-In. Methods: Check-In was comprised of a 20 min online lecture on healthcare provider burnout, two pre-readings that highlighted burnout among physicians, and an optional one-on-one session between individual students and a faculty or staff member. A reflection guide was also shared among students and facilitators where students had to rate their current mental health on a 10-point scale and reflect on questions focusing on energy expenditure, self-care, and self-compassion within the past, present, and future. Results: Check-In was rewarding and overall positive for students and faculty. The personal connection with members from the school and the strategic timing of the activity within the curriculum notably contributed to the success of the activity. The short duration of individual sessions was the key criticism of the activity. Further research at the University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy will be explored to assess the long-term impact of Check-In on student well-being.

How Can We Help?: Strategies for Instructors to Alleviate Undergraduate Student Stress

“…While the stress remained consistent, it allowed the instructor team to be responsive to student needs throughout the semester. Instructors should consider having a check-in throughout the semester to assess the effectiveness of the course and student well-being which is commonly used in health-related professional fields (Cox-Davenport, 2017;Fernandes et al, 2020). This can happen in conjunction with a mid-semester course evaluation.…”

A Scoping Review of Well-being Assessment and Interventions in Student Pharmacists

“…The University of Waterloo incorporated a single "Check In" activity in a required course that consisted of a background reading, an in-person lecture component, and a faculty-student mentoring session. 21 The investigators found that the 76 (63%) student pharmacists reported the "Check-in" activity as rewarding, and both students and faculty reported it as a positive experience. Finally, 49 (36%) first-year student pharmacists at one school of pharmacy wrote reflections on personal well-being in one of the required courses in the curriculum.…”

Impact of a Well-being Promotion Training Program on Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience Conference Leaders

“…[11][12][13] Based on the 2017-2018 American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) Student Affairs Standing Committee's charge to identify best practices to promote student well-being and resilience and the adoption of "Achieving Well-being for All" as one of AACP's 2021-2024 strategic priorities, there has been an impetus for pharmacy educators to evaluate strategies that promote student well-being and reduce burnout. [14][15][16][17][18][19][20] Since much of student well-being has been focused during the pharmacy didactic curriculum, we developed the Well-being Promotion (WelPro) Program at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Pharmacy to reduce burnout and promote well-being among Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) students. WelPro centers around three major wellness pillars: self-management strategies, critical reflection (CR), and community building.…”