There has been considerable concern about the alarming rates of burnout and low well-being among physicians and medical school students. For preclinical students, high burnout and low well-being are associated with worse academic and health outcomes. Thus, there is a need for interventions to establish systems that will lead to more resilient students and physicians. Research from other higher education contexts suggests promising avenues for system-level change. In particular, interventions that support faculty in promoting more adaptive learning mindsets in their students, such as encouraging a growth mindset, helping students find purpose and relevance in what they are learning, and fostering a sense of belonging, leads to positive outcomes in students. Using data from a nationally representative sample of first-year osteopathic medical school students, we have preliminary evidence that these findings extend to the medical school context.

By the end of this Focus Session, faculty and administrators will be able to explain how the learning environment connects with student well-being outcomes. More specifically, participants will be able to identify how cultivating a growth mindset in students, helping students identify the purpose and relevance of the course material, and fostering a sense of belonging all promote positive outcomes in students, especially those students from historically marginalized backgrounds.

Faculty and administrators will also be able to explain how student perceptions of their instructors’ learning mindsets connect to student well-being.

Participants will also learn ways to extend their pedagogical toolbox for creating and sustaining a more supportive learning environment. The emphasis is placed on pedagogical changes and not curricular changes, so that faculty can be empowered to begin including these pedagogical practices without structural changes to their curriculum.