We have scheduled several “Personal Mental Health Weekends” during the academic year. These are two or three day weekends just after an exam and just before the start of a new class when you should have a minimum of studying to do. We encourage you to use this time to re-connect with as much of your non-medical life as possible. If you lose your humanity during medical training you may become a master of medical technique but you will not reach your potential as a physician.
One brief word of warning. There are some teachers in medicine who believe they can motivate learning by pointing out ignorance in a humiliating way. If you are forced to endure such an experience, please notify the Dean’s office.
Let me reiterate that your medical school believes the best way to produce caring physicians is for us to serve as a model for a caring environment. If you do not feel cared for during the next four years please inform the Dean’s office. No one is in a better position than you to help us produce the best possible next generation of healers and the faculty is mindful that one of you may be our personal physician one day.
My best wishes for each of you as you begin this exciting and rewarding new journey.
Tags: letter, medical education
