Supporting Medical Student Mental Health during COVID-19: Strategies Implemented for an Accelerated Curriculum Medical Campus

Chandratre, Sonal; Knight, Christopher; Dodson, Lisa

doi:10.1177/23821205211006392

Cited by 11 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…[37][38][39][40] Institutions have recognised the impact of the ongoing public health crisis, initiating meaningful actions such as regular staff check-ins, virtual social events or communiques promoting well-being and sharing mental health resources. 21,22,41,42 The community is also having new conversations about burnout and even finding new terms to describe how we are feeling, like languishing. 43 However, it remains to be seen whether the medical education community will-or will feel permitted to-carry forward the increased flexibility and autonomy the COVID-19 pandemic provided for some.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, since the start of the pandemic, conversations about wellness and burnout seem to have gained a new sense of urgency—and perhaps even legitimacy 37–40 . Institutions have recognised the impact of the ongoing public health crisis, initiating meaningful actions such as regular staff check‐ins, virtual social events or communiques promoting well‐being and sharing mental health resources 21,22,41,42 . The community is also having new conversations about burnout and even finding new terms to describe how we are feeling, like languishing 43…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A phenomenological exploration of the impact of COVID‐19 on the medical education community

et al. 2022

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Introduction The COVID‐19 pandemic has caused unprecedented stress to the medical education community, potentially worsening problems like burnout and work‐life imbalance that its members have long been grappling with. However, the collective struggle sparked by the pandemic could generate the critical reflection necessary for transforming professional values and practices for the better. In this hermeneutic phenomenological study, we explore how the community is adapting—and even reconceptualising —their personal and professional roles amidst the COVID‐19 crisis. Method Between April and October 2020, we conducted 27 (17F, 10M) semi‐structured interviews with medical trainees (8), physicians (8), graduate students (3) and PhD scientists (8) working in medical education in Canada, the United States and Switzerland. Data analysis involved a variety of strategies, including coding for van Manen's four lifeworld existentials, reflexive writing and multiple team meetings. Results Participants experienced grief related to the loss of long‐established personal and professional structures and boundaries, relationships and plans for the future. However, experiences of grief were often conflicting. Some participants also experienced moments of relief , perceiving some losses as metaphorical permissions slips to slow down and focus on their well‐being. In turn, many reflected on the opportunity they were being offered to re‐imagine the nature of their work. Discussion Participants' experiences with grief, relief and opportunity resonate with Ratcliffe's account of grief as a process of relearning the world after a significant loss. The dismantling of prior life structures and possibilities incited in participants critical reflection on the nature of the medical education community's professional practices. Participants demonstrated their desire for more flexibility and autonomy in the workplace and a re‐adjustment of the values and expectations inherent to their profession. On both individual and systems levels, the community must ensure that long‐standing calls for wellness and work‐life integration are realised—and persist—after the pandemic is over.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A phenomenological exploration of the impact of COVID‐19 on the medical education community

et al. 2022

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“…We are currently living through an interval of unexpected vulnerability in our learning environments. Even prior to the COVID‐19 syndemic, mental health was a significant concern in health professions education, particularly among learners and educators from historically excluded groups (Chandratre, 2020; Chandratre et al, 2021; Schindler et al, 2021; Sharma & Bhaskar, 2020). We know that frontline medical professionals are at risk of psychological distress (Galbraith et al, 2021), but the plights of health professions learners and educators during COVID‐19 has drawn more limited attention (Li et al, 2021; Molodynski et al, 2021; Schwenk et al, 2010; Sotto‐Santiago, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite being in the business of training healthcare professionals, we are not considered part of the healthcare workforce. It has been suggested that health professions environments are especially vulnerable during the syndemic (Chandratre, 2020; Chandratre et al, 2021; Melnyk et al, 2021; Schindler et al, 2021), which may have an impact on the future of health care. Learners and educators thus require tailored support, distinct from the general population or medical professionals.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

IMPROVing communication about diversity, equity, and inclusion in health professions education

Muldoon

2022

The Anatomical Record

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There has never been a stronger call for authenticity in health professions education than this moment in time. The health inequities laid bare by the COVID-19 syndemic (a concept that describes the clustering of SARS-CoV-2 infection and disease by political, social, and economic factors) compels health professions educators to learn how to best engage in, sustain, and deepen conversations on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within our learning environments. Health professions curricula should address such concerns through explicit faculty training programs in dialogue models of communication. In this commentary, I propose that medical improv can help refocus health professions training to the humanistic values of empathy for others and respect for multiple viewpoints. Medical improv refers to teaching methods that adapt improvisation principles and exercises to enhance professional competencies in the health professions, such as communication. I describe a training series implemented at one institution to prepare faculty facilitators to engage in conversations about DEI in a discussion-based core course on the social determinants of health for first year medical students called "Humanity in Medicine." Key elements of dialogue training, including examinations of identity and positionality, caretaking and team-making, and conversations with a skeptic, are viewed through the lens of improv exercises as a pedagogy in communication. I report on facilitator and medical students' positive response to facilitator training and the Humanity in Medicine course. Potential next steps towards a formal evaluation of the method, and outcomes assessments of the use of improv in health professions training are discussed.

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“…Amidst this upheaval, medical students have been subject to vast amounts of disruption such as the cancellation of clinical placements and severe restrictions on the patients they are allowed to interact with. It is known that medical students already suffer from greater levels of mental health disorders, stress, and burnout compared to the general public, and this has only been heightened by the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic [5,6].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Virtual Hospital Induction for Medical Students: A Novel Approach

Vignaraja¹,

Creese²,

Phillips³

et al. 2022

Cureus

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Background and objectiveFace-to-face hospital induction has been reported to lead to information overload with poor knowledge retention. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has provided an opportunity to redesign the induction process, thereby taking it into the digital age. In this study, we aimed to discuss a comprehensive and effective approach toward the induction of medical students. MethodsA video was filmed on an iPhone (Apple Inc., Cupertino, CA), edited using the iMovie program (Apple Inc.), and shared with students before the start of the placement. It included a walk-through of the hospital and an explanation of educational opportunities. Pre-and post-placement questionnaires were distributed and focus groups were conducted. ResultsOur findings revealed that the participants strongly preferred virtual induction, feeling more confident about where to go, and who to contact, and better orientated on day one of their placement. They felt that being able to re-watch the induction at their convenience was invaluable. DiscussionCOVID-19 has brought about rapid digitalisation of medical services. The feedback from our study shows that virtual induction improved the well-being of students during their placement. By using easily accessible equipment, we have produced a useful resource that can be easily recreated by others.

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Supporting Medical Student Mental Health during COVID-19: Strategies Implemented for an Accelerated Curriculum Medical Campus

Cited by 11 publications

References 9 publications

A phenomenological exploration of the impact of COVID‐19 on the medical education community

A phenomenological exploration of the impact of COVID‐19 on the medical education community

IMPROVing communication about diversity, equity, and inclusion in health professions education

Virtual Hospital Induction for Medical Students: A Novel Approach

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