Abstract
Objective
Despite increasing mental health needs among medical students, few models for effective preventive student wellness programs exist.
Methods
This paper describes a novel approach developed at the University of California (UC) Davis School of Medicine: the Office of Student Wellness (OSW).
Results
Improved access and mental health service utilization have been documented, with over half of all students receiving support and clinical care. UC Davis student satisfaction mean scores on the Association of American Medical Colleges Graduation Questionnaire wellness questions have reached or exceeded national average over the last 4 years, since the OSW was founded.
Conclusions
This program may serve as a blueprint for other medical schools in developing effective student wellness programs.
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Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration grant SM60482, the John A. Majda, MD Memorial Fund, the UC Davis School of Medicine, and the UC Davis Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing. We are deeply indebted to Glen Gabbard, MD and Linda Worley, MD for their guidance in developing this program. We thank Emil Rodolfa, PhD and Karin Nilsson, PhD for providing the Counseling and Psychological Services utilization data.
Disclosures
The authors report no conflicts of interest.
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Seritan, A.L., Rai, G., Servis, M. et al. The Office of Student Wellness: Innovating to Improve Student Mental Health. Acad Psychiatry 39, 80–84 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40596-014-0152-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40596-014-0152-5