Student wellness trends and interventions in medical education: a narrative review
Abstract Medical education is a time wrought with personal and professional stressors, posing serious challenges to maintaining student wellness. Extensive research has thus been conducted to identify these stressors and develop practical solutions to alleviate their harmful effects. This narrative...
Main Authors: | , |
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
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Springer Nature
2022-03-01
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Series: | Humanities & Social Sciences Communications |
Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-022-01105-8 |
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author | Harrison J. Klein Sarah M. McCarthy |
author_facet | Harrison J. Klein Sarah M. McCarthy |
author_sort | Harrison J. Klein |
collection | DOAJ |
description | Abstract Medical education is a time wrought with personal and professional stressors, posing serious challenges to maintaining student wellness. Extensive research has thus been conducted to identify these stressors and develop practical solutions to alleviate their harmful effects. This narrative review of quantitative and qualitative literature summarizes trends in student wellness and examines interventions deployed by medical schools to ameliorate student distress. Current trends indicate that mental illness, substance use, and burnout are more prevalent in medical students compared to the general population due to excessive academic, personal, and societal stressors. Pass/fail grading systems and longitudinal, collaborative learning approaches with peer support appear to be protective for student wellness. Additionally, maintaining enjoyable hobbies, cultivating social support networks, and developing resiliency decrease distress in medical students on an individual level. Faculty and administrator development is also a necessary component to ensuring student wellness. The COVID-19 pandemic has posed unique challenges to the medical education system and has stimulated unprecedented innovation in educational technology and adaptability. Particularly, the discontinuation of the clinical skill evaluation components for both osteopathic and allopathic students should be a focus of medical student wellness research in the future. |
first_indexed | 2024-04-13T17:26:43Z |
format | Article |
id | doaj.art-362ff6844b494e98881186d0737a702b |
institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
issn | 2662-9992 |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-04-13T17:26:43Z |
publishDate | 2022-03-01 |
publisher | Springer Nature |
record_format | Article |
series | Humanities & Social Sciences Communications |
spelling | doaj.art-362ff6844b494e98881186d0737a702b2022-12-22T02:37:46ZengSpringer NatureHumanities & Social Sciences Communications2662-99922022-03-01911810.1057/s41599-022-01105-8Student wellness trends and interventions in medical education: a narrative reviewHarrison J. Klein0Sarah M. McCarthy1Lake Erie College of Osteopathic MedicineLake Erie College of Osteopathic MedicineAbstract Medical education is a time wrought with personal and professional stressors, posing serious challenges to maintaining student wellness. Extensive research has thus been conducted to identify these stressors and develop practical solutions to alleviate their harmful effects. This narrative review of quantitative and qualitative literature summarizes trends in student wellness and examines interventions deployed by medical schools to ameliorate student distress. Current trends indicate that mental illness, substance use, and burnout are more prevalent in medical students compared to the general population due to excessive academic, personal, and societal stressors. Pass/fail grading systems and longitudinal, collaborative learning approaches with peer support appear to be protective for student wellness. Additionally, maintaining enjoyable hobbies, cultivating social support networks, and developing resiliency decrease distress in medical students on an individual level. Faculty and administrator development is also a necessary component to ensuring student wellness. The COVID-19 pandemic has posed unique challenges to the medical education system and has stimulated unprecedented innovation in educational technology and adaptability. Particularly, the discontinuation of the clinical skill evaluation components for both osteopathic and allopathic students should be a focus of medical student wellness research in the future.https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-022-01105-8 |
spellingShingle | Harrison J. Klein Sarah M. McCarthy Student wellness trends and interventions in medical education: a narrative review Humanities & Social Sciences Communications |
title | Student wellness trends and interventions in medical education: a narrative review |
title_full | Student wellness trends and interventions in medical education: a narrative review |
title_fullStr | Student wellness trends and interventions in medical education: a narrative review |
title_full_unstemmed | Student wellness trends and interventions in medical education: a narrative review |
title_short | Student wellness trends and interventions in medical education: a narrative review |
title_sort | student wellness trends and interventions in medical education a narrative review |
url | https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-022-01105-8 |
work_keys_str_mv | AT harrisonjklein studentwellnesstrendsandinterventionsinmedicaleducationanarrativereview AT sarahmmccarthy studentwellnesstrendsandinterventionsinmedicaleducationanarrativereview |