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How are medical schools supporting student’s mental wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 September 2022

R. Howard
Affiliation:
University of East Anglia, Norwich Medical School, Norwich, United Kingdom
V. Selwyn
Affiliation:
University of East Anglia, Norwich Medical School, Norwich, United Kingdom
J. Beezhold*
Affiliation:
University of East Anglia, Norwich Medical School, Norwich, United Kingdom
N. Henderson
Affiliation:
University of East Anglia, Norwich Medical School, Norwich, United Kingdom
R. Gilmore
Affiliation:
University of East Anglia, Psychiatry, Norwich, United Kingdom
I. Bartolome
Affiliation:
University of East Anglia, Norwich Medical School, Norwich, United Kingdom
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

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Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted medical students in many ways. They are not exempt from personal struggles caused by the health crisis, and many have faced similar challenges adapting to a new learning experience. The University of East Anglia (UEA) has initiatives in place to support medical students including the society Headucate UEA and the Wellbeing Champions scheme established by Norwich Medical School (NMS).

Objectives

Headucate aims to improve mental wellbeing by educational online webinars and social events aimed at university students. NMS Wellbeing Champions offer support and signpost students to resources and the wider student support system at the UEA.

Methods

Headucate was established in 2012 by NMS students that began running workshops at local secondary schools. Their work has expanded to include wellbeing workshops, social events for students and mental health first aid training, so members can provide peer support. Wellbeing Champions are medical student representatives responsible for completing mental health first aid training, communication between students and faculty, providing resources and signposting, creating mental health bulletin newsletters, and running socials exclusively for medical students.

Results

100% of Headucate workshop attendees who completed anonymous feedback agreed that they enjoyed it and that it was useful. No feedback has been collected regarding the success of the Wellbeing Champions. This should be carried out to assess and enhance the project further.

Conclusions

More data is needed to establish the success of the initiatives at NMS and their impact on medical student’s wellbeing.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.

Type
Abstract
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association
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