Building a Supportive Community: Navigating Healthcare Education and Beyond
Summary: 📚💡🤩 In this exciting article, we dive into the world of medical education and explore the key factors that contribute to the development of future medical students and physicians. From cultivating a passion for learning to developing essential skills, this piece highlights the importance of motivation and inspiration in the healthcare profession. So, grab your stethoscope and get ready to be empowered to make a positive impact in the medical field!
Takeaways:
- 🔥 Ignite your passion: Find what truly excites you in medicine and let that be the driving force behind your journey as a healthcare professional.
- 🌟 Embrace lifelong learning: The process of medical education does not end with graduation. Commit to continuous learning to stay up-to-date with the latest advancements in healthcare.
- 🌱 Nurture curiosity: Cultivate a sense of wonder and ask questions. Curiosity is the foundation of discovery and innovation in medicine.
- 🙌 Cultivate empathy: Remember that each patient is unique and has their own story. Empathy is a powerful tool that can enhance the patient-physician relationship.
- 💪 Develop resilience: Medicine can be challenging, but developing resilience will help you overcome obstacles and bounce back from setbacks.
- 👥 Collaborate effectively: Collaboration is key in healthcare. Practice working in interdisciplinary teams to provide the best possible care for your patients.
- 🌍 Embrace cultural competence: Seek to understand and respect diverse cultures and backgrounds. Being culturally competent will enhance your ability to provide patient-centered care.
- 💡 Be a leader: Step up and take charge when necessary. Effective leadership skills will help you navigate complex healthcare environments and advocate for your patients.
- 🤗 Celebrate wins, big and small: Recognize and celebrate the achievements and milestones in your medical journey. Each step forward is a testament to your dedication and hard work.
- 🌺 Take care of yourself: Prioritize self-care and maintain a healthy work-life balance. Taking care of yourself allows you to provide the best care for others.
So, future medical students and physicians, let these takeaways guide you and inspire you on your journey to becoming the best healthcare professional you can be! 🌟👩⚕️👨⚕️💪💙
Student Mental-Health Resources: Addressing the Gaps
Despite the increased availability of resources to tackle the student mental-health crisis across Canadian universities, three in four post-secondary students are unaware of how to access campus mental-health resources.
Disconnect Between Students and Accessibility Services
Undergraduate students voice that there is a disconnect between what is available to students with mental-health disabilities and their knowledge of their rights and resources, preventing them from utilizing accessibility services.
Of those registered with accessibility services at the University of Toronto, mental-health disabilities are more prevalent than all other disabilities combined, according to an emailed statement from the school.
Despite this, students often have little time for conversations with their accessibility department to learn how to navigate within academics, says Jeanette Parsons, director of the Accessible Learning Centre at Wilfrid Laurier University. “Maybe some additional resources could be added,” she says.
Some students may not be aware of the rights they have, for example privacy around the nature of their specific medical conditions. After she was asked by a professor why she required accommodations, a University of Toronto student says, “I didn’t feel like I was in a place where I could say that I’m not comfortable sharing (that information) and still have access to my accommodations.
“It can be hard to stand up and (say) ‘These are my rights, I do not need to share that,’ because these are people that are giving you your marks. These are people who have more power than you.”
Accessibility services have a role to play in helping to educate and inform students and faculty of the privacy needs of students with disabilities, says Jennifer Gillies, associate director of AccessAbility Services at University of Waterloo.
Gillies adds that stigma can also prevent students from self-advocacy. “When I think of the word disability, especially mental-health disabilities, not only is it coupled with a lot of stigma for students, but also sometimes students just don’t resonate with the term ‘disability.’ It’s not part of their personal identity,” she says.
Mitchell Mallette, manager of Student Accessibility Services at York University, agrees. “Overall stigma, particularly with mental-health disabilities, but also with any non-visible disability, students might feel a hesitancy to register with our office.”
A Western University Bachelor of Science student says feelings of self-doubt prevented her from accessing resources when she needed them most. She registered with accessibility services two days into her psychiatric hospitalization, a connection her case worker facilitated.
Before I was hospitalized, I didn’t have a proper diagnosis. I was worried (accessibility services) wouldn’t take me seriously.
“I wish I would have been able to get in touch with (student accessibility services) before I was hospitalized … but I didn’t have a proper diagnosis. I didn’t know what to say to them. I was worried they wouldn’t take me seriously,” says the student.
Michele Anderson, Western’s associate director of Academic Support and Engagement, says reaching out for help is “the first and most difficult step a student can take.”
Western’s Accessible Education team says it is committed to ensuring students without documentation can still access services on an interim basis while awaiting assessment. However, Anderson notes that accessing professionals who are qualified to diagnose mental-health conditions takes time.
If students at the University of Waterloo suspect they have a disability but are disconnected from the health-care system, Gillies says her office plays a role in helping students find support by connecting them with health services, counselling services or assessments for conditions like ADHD.
Student accessibility services at various Canadian universities are striving to close the gap between student awareness and available resources.
Gillies says that the University of Waterloo has incorporated broader language on its promotional materials, such as “conditions, illnesses, injuries, emotional, psychological and physical impacts from trauma, sexual violence and racialized trauma.”
A University of Toronto spokesperson says the school is working to incorporate accessible frameworks into its teaching and learning spaces using Universal Design for Learning principles. The teaching methodology aims to ensure students’ diverse learning needs are accounted for from the time they enroll; the school says this could help mitigate the need for disability accommodations in general.
York University’s Mallette says his department is currently relying exclusively on medical documentation to gain insights into students’ disabilities. With a diverse student population, Mallette says “there’s different social norms around disability,” adding that this can be a barrier to accessing services for some students. He says his department is looking into accepting other forms of non-medical documentation, such as notes from a physiotherapist, occupational therapist or social worker, but he adds that they’re “not there yet.”
York University has integrated peer-mentor support programs in which upper-year students with lived experience of disability help newer students navigate their disability, for example, in having difficult conversations with faculty.
Gillies says there is always room for universities to do more and that students are still slipping through the cracks. “What students aren’t we reaching? Who is not receiving the information that we are putting out there? Who is not identifying with our office? Who are we missing?”