This longitudinal elective will take place in 10 one-hour sessions from 5:30-6:30pm with assigned practices and reflection to be done outside of class between sessions. We will start each session with an opening mediation, and then a brief check-in with students about the previous week. Then, we will introduce a new mindfulness technique (examples include eating meditation, walking meditation, and journaling), after which we will debrief about the experience. This is an excellent opportunity to get to know your peers in a small group environment, and to acquire tools to build resiliency in the challenging field of medicine. Students must attend 7 of the 10 dates for credit, and are encouraged to attend weekly.

This elective covers key concepts and strategies across multiple facets of mind-body-spirit wellness. Students are asked to reflect on the application of this content in relation to their own professional and personal well-being and to identify ways in which they can promote individual and institutional wellness in their daily interactions with peers, patients, and community members. The elective will be interactive and experientially based. A retreat day will be held in person as part of the elective, or virtually, as necessary.

The integration of spirituality into the practice of medicine holds many opportunities for deepening the meaning and impact of health care relationships for providers and patients alike. At the same time, multiple obstacles exist to practically implementing whole-person care in the ways encouraged in scholarly writings and training programs. This elective offers students an overview of existing resources and current research in this area, and invites them to reflect on their own values and interests in engaging in medical practice in a way that promotes mind-body-spirit well-being.

Students may develop an individualized research plan of their choice under the direction of a faculty member. Students should work with a faculty member to submit the form Elective Proposal to Educational Affairs at least eight weeks prior to the projected start date. This elective requires prior approval.

Students may develop an individualized course on a topic of their choice under the direction of a faculty member. Students should work with a faculty member to submit the form Elective Proposal to Educational Affairs at least eight weeks prior to the projected start date. This elective requires prior approval.

Addressing professional, personal, and patient well-being is paramount in providing and sustaining effective health care. The topic of well-being in medicine is multi-faceted, offering opportunities to examine key health influences at both an individual and organizational level. For physicians, this topic has implications for quality of life in the workplace, effectiveness of patient care, and utilization of personal well-being tools across the domains of emotional, physical, social, and spiritual health. This elective offers an overview of wellness topics in patient care and physician-wellness advocacy as springboards for students to identify relevant content areas of interest for deeper exploration.

The integration of spirituality into the practice of medicine holds many opportunities for deepening the meaning and impact of health care relationships for providers and patients alike. At the same time, multiple obstacles exist to practically implementing whole-person care in the ways encouraged in scholarly writings and training programs. This elective offers students an overview of existing resources and current research in this area, and invites them to reflect on their own values and interests in engaging in medical practice in a way that promotes mind-body-spirit well-being.

This elective, as part of the Well-Being in Medicine track, is designed for the third-year medical student in clinical rotations. It is a student-to-student longitudinal group, led by fourth-year students under the supervision of the elective director, that is intended as a safe space for students to process real or hypothetical situations they may encounter in the clinic. Students will be exposed to content from the literature on emotional awareness/intelligence, mindfulness, and resilience/vulnerability and practice well-being skills in these domains in the context of real-life clinical scenarios. The short-term goal is to help students to navigate challenging emotional terrain during their initial clinical experiences while maintaining their own sense of well-being. The long-term goal is to engage students in developing well-being and resilience skills that will serve them throughout their clinical practice, as well as in their personal lives.

Engaging in wellness during the preclinical years is foundational for developing healthy habits and behaviors for success during the clinical years. Wellness is a broad term, and this elective intentionally focuses on content that enhances self-reflection, connection to the profession of medicine, as well as the development of healthy boundaries between one's personal and professional life. Topics explored will include various wellness themes within the medical profession, especially those about mission, purpose, and self-care during clinical rotations. At the center of this discussion will be the evidence-based impact of compassion in medicine and how we as future physicians can be more intentional in our interactions with patients, especially in choosing to be compassionate. In addition to a required reading, students will have the opportunity to self-guide their experience with a selection of their own topics from a pre-made list.
Weeks offered:
January 13, 2025
Feburary 24, 2025