Introduction to Cognitive Restructuring for Medical Students.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Mental Health Training
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Background:

• Medical students often avoid mental health care due to stigma and time constraints.
• Lack of provider knowledge about treatments can lead to inadequate patient care.
• There is a need to improve medical students' understanding of mental health principles and their own well-being.

Purpose of the Study:

• To enhance medical student knowledge of mental health care.
• To introduce cognitive restructuring principles and skills.
• To improve medical student well-being through an interactive module.

Main Methods:

• A 90-minute interactive learning activity was developed.
• The activity included a lecture, case vignette, group discussion, and application exercise.
• Anonymous evaluations were completed by students and faculty immediately after the session.

Main Results:

• Over 80% of first-year medical students and faculty rated the session as good or excellent.
• Over 80% of second-year medical students and over 90% of faculty rated the session as good or excellent.
• Approximately 90% of students and 100% of faculty recommended the session for future students, with overwhelmingly positive open-ended feedback.

Conclusions:

• The interactive module effectively enhanced medical student knowledge and well-being.
• The learning activity was well-received by both students and faculty.
• The module is easily implementable at any institution without requiring specialized faculty expertise.