The stress of success: An online module to help first‐year dental students cope with the Impostor Phenomenon

Abstract

Context Professors often spend a great deal of time counseling poorly performing students, which limits the time dedicated to high achievers. This may be problematic, as psychiatrists have determined that gifted students may be susceptible to feelings of inadequacy despite positive external evidence. Dr. Pauline Clance coined the term “Impostor Phenomenon” (IP) to describe these traits. Objective Dental students, while academically successful, may be prone to IP and lack appropriate coping strategies. The goal of this project was to create and publish an online module to educate dental students about IP and provide 6 coping mechanisms. Design After viewing the video at the beginning of the semester, students completed the Clance IP Scale to determine the prevalence of IP thoughts. This was repeated at the end of the semester to determine the impact of the online training module. Results There was a decrease in postsemester scores from 63.44 (±14.92) to 59.12 (±14.56), n = 103, 86% response rate, dependent samples within subjects t‐test, P < 0.001). The percentage of students reporting intense impostor experiences decreased from 13.6% to 4.9%. Females exhibited significantly higher scores than males, but there was no statistically significant impact of age or race on results. The most common reported coping strategies were a reduction in time spent on nonessential tasks and the use of scheduling to prevent procrastination. Conclusion These results suggest that an online training module can improve awareness of the Impostor Phenomenon and help high‐achieving students to cope with their stress and feelings of inadequacy.

Do I Belong Here? Confronting Imposter Syndrome at an Individual, Peer, and Institutional Level in Health Professionals

“… 13 An online module consisting of a 14-minute educational video with supplemental reminder cards of proposed coping mechanisms was presented to a cohort of dental students. 14 Based on pre- and postmodule CIPS responses, there was a decrease in IS scores at the end of the semester. These interventions show the strength of modules and workshops in improving awareness of IS and providing strategies that help reduce the impact of IS in health care professionals.…”

Effect of a Procedural Video on the Practical Fixed Prosthodontic Performance and Stress among Preclinical Dental Students

“…These results are found in other studies. 24 25 With self-completed questionnaires, it is common to encounter bias of honesty in response to questions. As these questionnaires were anonymous, this bias was minimized: students had no reason to falsify their responses because they were not evaluated.…”

Evaluation of mindfulness practice in mitigating impostor feelings in dental students

“…In addition, similar distributions across the four impostor level categories were observed in these studies of dental student IP levels as measured by the CIPS. 10,27 This information contributes to the growing body of knowledge indicating IP as a significant element of the dental student experience, especially for first-year students. Although medical and nursing education is wellrepresented in studies of IP in students, there is scant research on impostor feelings in dental students.…”

“…10,[19][20][21][22][23][24][25] F I G U R E 1 The impostor phenomenon cycle Health professions educators appreciate the value of both co-curricular and curricular strategies in professional development, socialization to the profession, and enhancing practitioner well-being in alignment with holistic and humanistic educational practice. 26,27 Dental student development includes creating an awareness of professional functioning, personal well-being, and reflective practice in alignment with the delivery of patient-centered care, ethical decision-making, and the philosophy of "do no harm" at the core of oral health care. Evidence supports mindfulness practice as a tool available for bringing awareness to impostor feelings and creating a mechanism for coping through behavior modification and lowering the psychological distress associated with persistent and pervasive impostorism.…”