ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: It is well documented that student well-being is challenged at medical school and that levels of distress increase as students navigate their training. The Doctor of Medicine (MD) programme at the University of Toronto developed a 4-year resilience curriculum (RC) to encourage students to reach out for help and equip them with resilience-building strategies to manage adversities in a demanding academic and clinical programme. resilience curriculum (RC) to encourage students to reach out for help and equip them with resilience-building strategies METHODS: Satisfaction surveys, consisting of statements rated by a five-point Likert scale and short-answer questions, were distributed to 518 students; in total, data from four workshops were collected. Two focus groups comprising 12 participants in total were facilitated (n = 6 per group). A thematic content analysis was conducted for the focus group data; open coding was used for transcriptions via an iterative process and inductive analysis. FINDINGS: Preliminary quantitative and qualitative data suggest that students valued the curriculum. The main themes generated from the thematic content analysis were the value of the RC, the delivery of the RC, and developing a resilient community. DISCUSSION: More research must be conducted to assess whether the RC has affected student well-being and resilience. The sustainability of the curriculum depends on the faculty members that support it; faculty development within the areas of wellness and resilience is imperative. INNOVATION AND IMPLICATIONS: The RC, embedded in the core curriculum and integrated within a medical community, is gaining momentum and is valued by students. Further research will assist in the creation of an innovative tool to assess the impact of the RC on medical students.
