COM Outlook - Winter 2016

4 Nova Southeastern University Over the ensuing weeks, Wallace asked the Administrative Council members to investigate ways to enhance student wellness, which culminated in the formation of the Student Wellness Committee. Composed primarily of faculty members, the committee was tasked with the objective of crafting a definitive plan that would address important issues associated with the subject. Following its first meeting in April, the committee discussed the wellness topics that would come to define the inaugural event—the Student Wellness Orientation Cruise. “In research- ing how other medical schools were addressing this problem, I learned of one school that hosted a half-day wellness retreat for its students,” said Barbara Arcos, D.O., associate professor and chair of the Department of Family Medicine, who chairs the Student Wellness Committee. “I loved the off-campus retreat concept and took the idea to Dr. Wallace. After gaining her approval and discussing various options, we chose a cruise on the Intracoastal Waterway for the retreat venue.” The committee chose 10 concise areas to serve as the basis for the wellness curriculum. The following were discussed on the cruise: • nutrition • physical activity/exercise • substance/alcohol use and addiction • recognizing trouble (early intervention and available resources and services) • relaxation • academic aids (study habits, test-taking tips, and time-management strategies) • personal health • stress reduction • social outlets (student organizations and student-led activities) • emotional wellness (relationship issues, depression, and quality time) After months of planning, NSU-COM coordinated its in- augural Sunset Student Wellness Orientation Cruise aboard the yacht Catalina on August 5. The excursion allowed the entering first-year classmates to enjoy a three-hour cruise along Fort Lauderdale’s scenic Intracoastal Waterway, get acquainted with their fellow students and faculty members, and discuss student wellness topics to help them thrive during their medical school experience and beyond. “The 10 stations set up on the cruise corresponded to our 10 curriculum topics, with each station staffed by two faculty members,” Arcos explained. “Students were given a mock passport upon boarding the ship and were asked to have it stamped at each station, with the intent that every student would briefly visit every station during the first half of the cruise. Because of their interest, many students returned to specific stations for in-depth conversations with the faculty members during the second half of the cruise.” Earlier that day, to prepare them for the evening cruise topics, the students were given a survey that assessed their current levels of health and wellness. The survey included 30 multiple-choice questions—3 questions for each of the 10 topics—which encouraged the students to think about their overall health. Two days later, as part of the class of 2019’s Orientation Week activities, Arcos and Jill Wallace-Ross, D.O., assistant pro- fessor of family medicine, gave a presentation that explored each of the survey questions in more depth and provided additional details as to why the topic of each question was important to individual health and wellness—particularly in the context of medical school. “Student wellness has been a passion for me throughout my tenure at NSU,” Arcos stated. “By anyone’s standard, medical school is a rigorous endeavor that continues well beyond medical school. With proper preparation and counseling, every student can increase his or her likelihood of successfully meeting the inevitable challenges that are inherent in a med- ical career. I believe that adopting wellness coping strategies early in the medical career provides the best opportunity for maintaining health throughout a physician’s lifetime.” Wellness Initiative Alleviates Anxiety, Maximizes Health for Medical Students (cont.)