Abstract
The stresses of medical training can lead to burnout and other adverse outcomes. The Flourish curriculum was designed to mitigate negative effects of stress among clerkship students through debriefing and skills-building activities that foster practical wisdom: mindfulness, appreciative practice, story-telling/listening, and reflection. Students rated the curriculum highly, felt it addressed common concerns about clerkships, and were able to apply techniques from the curriculum to their clinical work. This framework can help students process their experiences and benefit from peer support, mentorship, and reflection. Fostering medical students’ wisdom capacities for reflection and compassion may be protective against burnout during their training.
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Availability of Data and Material
The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are not publicly available to preserve participants’ privacy. Curriculum materials are available on the course website (https://sites.google.com/virginia.edu/flourish).
Code Availability
Not applicable.
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Acknowledgements
The development, implementation, and evaluation of this curriculum was supported by a grant from the Academy of Distinguished Educators at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. We would like to thank Justine Owens who assisted with the analyses. We would like to thank Daniel Becker MD for sharing the “Tell Me a Story” prompts from the Narrative Medicine Project at UVA.
Funding
This curriculum was supported by a grant from the Academy of Distinguished Educators at the University of Virginia School of Medicine.
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The study was approved by our Institutional Review Board (IRB) and by the Group on Research in Medical Education Committee which provides additional review of any study involving medical students at our institution.
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Flickinger, T.E., Kon, R.H., Jacobsen, B. et al. “Flourish in the Clerkship Year”: a Curriculum to Promote Wellbeing in Medical Students. Med.Sci.Educ. 32, 315–320 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40670-022-01522-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40670-022-01522-z