Assessment of Student Perspectives on Improving Wellness in Medical School: Qualitative Results from a Cross-Sectional Survey of Medical Students in Florida

PURPOSE: Helping medical students maintain wellbeing has become an important concern, as many medical students report a decline in their mental health during the course of their training. To improve students’ wellbeing, some schools have implemented wellness programs into their curricula. While there is growing research about the effectiveness of these programs, little is known about what medical students themselves desire to support their wellbeing. This study aimed to assess medical student perspectives regarding the most effective ways to promote wellness during medical school. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: To address this gap in the literature, a survey was administered to medical students at the nine medical schools in the state of Florida. Participants included 864 medical students, whose anonymous responses were analyzed descriptively as well as qualitatively to determine major themes. RESULTS: Students provided novel suggestions and recommendations, including ideas for curricular additions and changes, cultural changes within schools, promoting positive behaviors and extracurricular activities, and providing resources for students. CONCLUSION: Based on the participants’ responses, it is evident that wellness is an important issue to medical students and, given the variety of suggestions, schools should strongly consider what wellness changes to implement and whether participation in them should be mandatory. The results of this study will be a resource to medical schools and educators who are considering curricular changes to address medical student wellbeing.