Utilization of Mental Health Services by Medical College of Wisconsin Trainees

The goal of this study is to describe the change in utilization of mental health services by trainees at a private medical college in Wisconsin after specific interventions were instituted by the administration.

Multiphase interventions designed to increase access to care were instituted at the student behavioral health clinic. These interventions were based on the findings of online wellness surveys distributed to the Medical College of Wisconsin during the 2016-2017 school year. The authors collected annual utilization reports of student use of mental health services at the Medical College of Wisconsin and plotted them along a timeline of specific administrative interventions.

Since the 2016-2017 academic year, medical students have used an average of 1274 mental health service visits per year compared to 637 visits annually during the academic years 2010-2011 through 2015-2016. The number of mental health visits increased significantly during 2016-2017 versus the average number of visits in previous years (P < 001; Cohen's d  = 4.39).

Similar to results shown worldwide, medical students in Wisconsin experience diminished mental health relative to their nonmedical peers. Recommendations have been made to provide additional administrative support to provide increased mental health resources to medical trainees. The findings in this report imply that incorporation of recommendations from the stakeholder medical trainees may be a key feature in the successful design and implementation of these supports.