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In a recent town hall, when the admins of my med school were asked how they are addressing the recent student suicide, they gave the following response. Want to know what doesn’t leave us feeling supported? Responses like this. A THREAD on #wellness in #medicalschool
Wellness is such a hot topic these days, one that I think is necessary but one that is often poorly executed. It’s the “wellness” events scheduled the day before exams. It’s the encouraging us to be vulnerable, but offering no accommodations when personal crises occur.
So for a school, that claims student wellbeing is a priority, to respond with such dismissal and apathy, well, it’s almost as if the emphasis on wellbeing has been nothing but a checkbox to mark off, a pat on the back to absolve oneself from blame and responsibility.
1st line: they say people are “complex” but a student only is “complex” when they do not thrive in an institution that was never designed for their success- one that is quick to inquire about a missing tuition payment but slow to recruit historically excluded students + faculty.
2nd line: They say the student was “doing well” bc success is the bare minimum. We are praised for the sacrifices we make, for the ability to withstand the unrelenting pressures. But this does not mean we are immune to pain and suffering. It is dangerous to deny this reality.
4th line: They say they have “no idea” what drives a student to do this, already have forgotten this is the 2nd student to die by suicide IN THE SAME CLASS within the past year. Ignoring the abundant data that reveals the impact of the stress of med school on mental health.
5th line: They urge us to “use these resources” but one of the best resources we had, a wellness coordinator who was beloved, was fired and replaced by “online resources” many of which are broken links and not user friendly. Less face to face interactions fuels our isolation.
The response was particularly infuriating bc, as students (high stakeholders), we offer ideas and feedback, but often are left feeling unheard. Why even ask if there is little interest in actually addressing the structural roots of poor mental health.
Lastly, I know specific faculty and admin who have made student wellbeing a priority, and I appreciate the time and effort they have dedicated. This is an unprecedented time, we are all is doing our best, but we can dig deeper to create a better learning environment.
