The Louisville Programme for medical student health awareness

Journal/Book: Complementary Therapies in Medicine. 1995; 3: 93-9.

Abstract: Doctors are notoriously negligent in caring for their own emotional and physical health, despite widely recognised job stresses. A variety of factors contribute to this, including deficits in medical education, a work ethic commonly requiring excessively long hours, and limited education in psychological awareness and interventions. A remarkable programme has been available at the University of Louisville Medical School since 1980. It introduces entering first-year medical students to concepts and approaches which, surprisingly, are not presented in many conventional medical school curricula. Included are nutrition; exercise; relaxations -- with with muscle relaxation, music, art, song, Tai Chi and other methods; social support systems with peers, upper classpersons and faculty; health maintenance and disease prevention; time management and specific study skills for medical school; awareness of professionals' liability to substance abuse, burnout, and more. The focus is on self-care as a way of heightening awareness to holistic, preventive medicine. These methods hold the promise of enhancing quality of life for doctors, a much-needed preventive to high job dissatisfaction and very high rates as a profession for depression, alcohol and substance abuse and suicide. (63 ref)

Note: Document Delivery: DD Locally Held: No Entry Month: 9511

Keyword(s): Health Promotion/mt [Methods]. Holistic Health. Self Care. Stress Management. Stress, Occupational. Students, Medical/pf [Psychosocial Factors]

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