Original Article
A Virtual Wellness and Learning Communities Program for Medical Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Abstract
Objectives: Numerous studies have demonstrated the high risk for burnout and mental illness in medical students. Because of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, our medical school transitioned to an all-virtual learning environment from March to June 2020, which raised concerns among student leaders and administrators, as reduced interpersonal attachments have known associations with decreased mental health. In an effort to facilitate student well-being during the pandemic, the Virtual Wellness and Learning Communities (VWLC) program was established. VWLC consisted of hour-long events that offered students the opportunity to engage with their peers online.Methods: More than 20 events and workshops were conducted from March to June 2020, including trivia nights, song and guitar performances, sketching, video editing tutorials, chess lessons, yoga, and personal investing tips. An institutional review board–approved survey to assess the efficacy of the VWLC program was sent to medical student participants and nonparticipants.
Results: The overall response rate of this study was 43% (53/123). The response rate for students who attended a VWLC event was 51% (33/65), and the response rate for students who did not attend a VWLC event was 34% (20/58). Of all of the respondents, 85% (45/53) reported a decreased sense of connectivity with peers because of the pandemic, and 40% (21/53) reported a decrease in their sense of wellness. After attending a VWLC event, 79% (26/33) reported an increased sense of peer connectivity, 61% (20/33) reported improved wellness, and 55% (18/33) believed that these events should continue postpandemic to supplement in-person programming. Those who did not attend a virtual event stated that the main barriers to attending were unfamiliarity with attendees and screen fatigue.
Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened medical student well-being and sense of community. VWLC programming may be an effective strategy for promoting medical student wellness and community while social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. To our knowledge, this is the first virtual wellness program for promotion of medical student mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic to be described in the literature.
Posted in: Infectious Disease136
Full Article
Having trouble viewing the article content below? Click here to open it directly.
Images
References
1. Usher K, Durkin J, Bhullar N. The COVID-19 pandemic and mental health impacts. Int J Ment Health Nurs 2020;29:315–318.
2. Torales J, O’Higgins M, Castaldelli-Maia JM, et al. The outbreak of COVID-19 coronavirus and its impact on global mental health. Int J Soc Psychiatry 2020;66: 317–320.
3. Dyrbye L, Shanafelt T. A narrative review on burnout experienced by medical students and residents. Med Educ 2016;50:132–149.
4. Puthran R, Zhang MWB, Tam WW, et al. Prevalence of depression amongst medical students: a meta-analysis. Med Educ 2016;50:456–468.
5. Rotenstein LS, Ramos MA, Torre M, et al. Prevalence of depression, depressive symptoms, and suicidal ideation among medical students: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA 2016;316:2214–2236.
6. Ferrel MN, Ryan JJ. The impact of COVID-19 on medical education. Cureus 2020;12:10–13.
7. Shanafelt TD, West C, Zhao X, et al. Relationship between increased personal well-being and enhanced empathy among internal medicine residents. J Gen Intern Med 2005;20:559–564.
8. Shanafelt TD, Novotny P, Johnson ME, et al. The well-being and personal wellness promotion strategies of medical oncologists in the North Central Cancer Treatment Group. Oncology 2005;68:23–32.
9. Novack DH, Epstein RM, Paulsen RH. Toward creating physician-healers: fostering medical students’ self-awareness, personal growth, and well-being. Acad Med 1999;74:516–520.
10. Montgomery L, Loue S, Stange KC. Linking the heart and the head: humanism and professionalism in medical education and pactice. Fam Med 2017;49:378–383.
11. West CP, Dyrbye LN, Erwin PJ, et al. Interventions to prevent and reduce physician burnout: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet 2016; 388:2272–2281.
12. Walker R, Pine H. Physician wellness is an ethical and public health issue. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2018;158:970–971.
13. West CP, Dyrbye LN, Shanafelt TD. Physician burnout: contributors, consequences and solutions. J Intern Med 2018;283:516–529.
14. Wallace JE, Lemaire JB, Ghali WA. Physician wellness: a missing quality indicator. Lancet 2009;374:1714–1721.
15. Han S, Shanafelt TD, Sinsky CA, et al. Estimating the attributable cost of physician burnout in the United States. Ann Intern Med 2019;170: 784–790.
16. Regehr C, Glancy D, Pitts A, et al. Interventions to reduce the consequences of stress in physicians: a review and meta-analysis. J Nerv Ment Dis 2014; 202:353–359.
17. Drolet BC, Rodgers S. A comprehensive medical student wellness program— design and implementation at Vanderbilt School of Medicine. Acad Med 2010; 85:103–110.
18. Anderson I. Identifying different learning styles to enhance the learning experience. Nurs Stand 2016;31:53–63.
19. National Wellness Institute. The six dimensions of wellness. https://nationalwellness.org/resources/six-dimensions-of-wellness/. Accessed October 8, 2021.
20. Chidiebere Okechukwu E, Tibaldi L, La Torre G. The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on mental health of Nurses. Clin Ter 2020;171:e399–e400.
21. Taylor WD, Blackford JU. Mental health treatment for front-line clinicians during and after the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic: a plea to the medical community. Ann Intern Med 2020;173:574–575.
22. Pfefferbaum B, North CS. Mental health and the Covid-19 pandemic. N Engl J Med 2020;383:510–512.
23. Zis P, Artemiadis A, Bargiotas P, et al. Medical studies during the COVID-19 pandemic: the impact of digital learning on medical students’ burnout and mental health. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2021;18:349.
24. Thompson G, McBride RB, Hosford CC, et al. Resilience among medical students: the role of coping style and social support. Teach Learn Med 2016;28:174–182.
25. Lin YK, Lin CD, Lin BY, et al. Medical students’ resilience: a protective role on stress and quality of life in clerkship. BMC Med Educ 2019;19:473.
26. Rastegar Kazerooni A, Amini M, Tabari P, et al. Peer mentoring for medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic via a social media platform. Med Educ 2020;54:762–763.
27. Phillips AW, Reddy S, Durning SJ. Improving response rates and evaluating nonresponse bias in surveys: AMEE Guide No. 102. Med Teach 2016;38:217–228.
