Stress management for clinical medical students

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Occupational Health
• Psychology

Background:

• The first clinical year is a period of significant stress for medical students.
• The Occupational Health Unit at Royal Free Hospital, London, developed a stress management course.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a new stress management course for first-year medical students.
• To assess the short-term and long-term impact of the course on student well-being and functioning.

Main Methods:

• A 3-week, 2-hour weekly stress management course was offered to first-year medical students.
• Questionnaires assessing mood, attitudes, and stress were administered at baseline, one year later, and for attendees, pre- and post-course.
• Comparison between attendees (17% uptake) and non-attendees, and waiting list controls.

Main Results:

• Attendees reported improvements in work functioning post-course, which was significant compared to controls.
• Non-attendees showed increased dissatisfaction and poorer perceived functioning over the year.
• Attendees did not exhibit the same deterioration in well-being and functioning as non-attendees.

Conclusions:

• The stress management course demonstrated both short-term benefits and long-term protective effects for medical students.
• The intervention appears to mitigate the negative impacts of the stressful first clinical year.