Medical Students' Perceptions on Identifying and Addressing Emotional Responses in Emergency Medicine: Pilot...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Emergency Medicine
• Psychological Well-being

Background:

• Emergency medicine (EM) training exposes students to high-acuity situations, potentially impacting trainee well-being and leading to burnout.
• Understanding how trainees prepare for and cope with these experiences is crucial for providing adequate support.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate medical students' perspectives on their emotional preparedness for acute care and trauma.
• To assess medical students' awareness of and comfort with accessing digital well-being resources during EM clerkships.

Main Methods:

• A pilot study utilized a remote digital survey administered to medical students during their EM clerkship.
• The survey assessed self-reported preparedness and comfort in managing critical care and trauma patient encounters.
• Secondary outcomes measured awareness and accessibility of digital well-being resources.

Main Results:

• Nearly half of surveyed students (49%) had witnessed critical care or penetrating trauma.
• A majority (70%) considered the emotional impact of these events, with over half (54%) feeling unprepared to identify and (63%) to address it.
• Less than a quarter (25%) knew about digital mental health resources, and 58% were uncomfortable accessing them.

Conclusions:

• Medical students in EM clerkships report feeling unprepared to manage the emotional impact of critical care and trauma.
• There is a significant gap in student awareness and comfort with utilizing available digital institutional well-being resources.
• Findings suggest a need for educational and academic leaders to develop and promote resources that empower students to manage emotions and access support.