Eve Hoover from Midwestern University presented at Lilly Conference online 2022 about “A Mindful Approach to Student Well-Being.” Hoover is an Associate Professor in the Physician Assistant Program. They are very interested in wellbeing and stress. Along with a colleague, Hoover worked on a curriculum focused on the well-being and avoiding burnout that is now used in over a dozen PA programs. The session had the goals of describing the effects of student burnout and the benefit of mitigation strategies and to define evidence-based wellbeing practices. Hoover talked about levels of stress that “have exceeded unhealthy levels… and have led students to reach maladaptive…” strategies. They said that we can change how we respond to stress. Hoover spoke about burnout defined as “emotional exhaustion and decreased sense of accomplishment.” Mitigation strategies shared included:
- Fostering awareness of simple well-being practices
- Empowering students and faculty with knowledge of resilience principles
- Cultivating a sense of community in the classroom
Hoover’s goal is for students to be aware of strategies and have a toolbox when needed. Hoover’s students are future healthcare providers and can therefore help others.
The first tool mentioned was mindfulness, “being aware of the present moment without any judgment.” Hoover spoke about how mindfulness resources and asking questions like: “What causes you stress? What do you feel in your body when you are stressed? How do you respond to stress? ” Hoover requested thoughts about how the audience recognizes stress and the importance of being able to detect it. Hoover recommended mindfulness and breathing exercises as part of courses.
The second tool mentioned was recognizing negative bias. Again, awareness of negative experiences and their impact on our processes and decisions is important. The third tool mentioned was decentering. Hoover quoted Viktor E. Frankl: “Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” The power of choice was what Hoover emphasized with this quote rather than “autopilot reactivity.” For decentering, Hoover recommended the “pause, breather, respond” strategy by Race 2018. This pause helps us reengage and focus. The fourth strategy was described as the transition routine to help us switch between roles. Hoover mentioned that a transition routine is personal and for some, is the drive home! The audience shared: putting laptops in a closet after work, singing, napping, and playing music. One strategy shared by Hoover was the 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 transition routine prompt. One activity is to notice five things you see. Then, 4 things you touch… followed by three things you hear… next, identify two things you smell. Lastly, encourage students to tune into one thing they taste. Hoover then explained the role of self-compassion to support all. These practices of pausing and noticing things around us can help support work-life balance. Hoover ended with an invitation to contribute to a Padlet to share images that help tell stories we have. I like this idea and activity! Hoover had beautiful images and lots of references. While we share campus resources frequently, we currently don’t encourage mindfulness. I wonder if I can do some of these activities and use these strategies with the online section of BIT 410/510 this fall…
