Teaching Trauma-Informed Care: A Symposium for Medical Students

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Public Health
• Psychology

Background:

• Childhood trauma is linked to adverse health outcomes.
• Physician training must include trauma recognition and response.
• Early medical education can foster a trauma-informed perspective.

Purpose of the Study:

• To implement and evaluate a trauma-informed care (TIC) symposium for second-year medical students.
• To assess the impact of TIC education on medical student knowledge and understanding.
• To explore the integration of TIC principles into physician competencies.

Main Methods:

• A 4-hour TIC symposium was delivered to 179 second-year medical students.
• The symposium featured interactive didactic sessions and a case-based small-group discussion.
• Student reflections were analyzed to map learning to physician competency domains.

Main Results:

• The symposium received an overall rating of 4 out of 5.
• Key strengths included the case discussion, facilitator expertise, and evidence review.
• Student reflections indicated learning aligned with physician competencies.

Conclusions:

• A 4-hour symposium can enhance medical student knowledge of TIC.
• Teaching TIC is vital for preparing physicians with essential competencies.
• Future steps include practical application and long-term behavior change assessment.