Morgan Cherry, Tess Laney, and Teague Smith are third-year PharmD candidates at the Jefferson College of Pharmacy at Thomas Jefferson University.
It’s no secret that being a student pharmacist is challenging. Every day, we learn and attempt to retain hours’ worth of information while attempting to balance extracurricular activities and a personal life. It’s common for student pharmacists to focus so much on academics that they unintentionally neglect their personal wellness. Maintaining a constant state of well-being is very challenging; however, it’s essential for long-term success. This leads to the question of whether time for wellness should be incorporated into the academic curriculum.
The Jefferson College of Pharmacy (JCP) at Thomas Jefferson University recently launched a two-credit elective course in the spring of 2023 titled Taking Care of the Future Pharmacist: A Well-being Course. Its intent was to help guide student pharmacists on their personal journeys to increase self-awareness and improve overall well-being.
Check-ins and check-outs
The course incorporated creating specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals; mini journal clubs; yoga; music therapy; wellness theories; and many other activities. Every class began with a check-in to allow student pharmacists to express how were feeling that week, share something of interest, or share a new wellness support. This was always followed by a 5- to 10-minute mindfulness meditation.
Nearing the end of each class, the student pharmacists would participate in a check-out during which they could state something that resonated with them from that day’s lecture, set an intention for the next week, or express one thing that they were grateful for that day.
As three student pharmacists who were enrolled in this course, we would like to share our opinions on what we learned.
Teague: Getting recentered
This elective has been one of my favorite courses taken at JCP. For me, my biggest takeaway was learning the different mindfulness techniques such as guided meditations of various lengths with and without music, box breathing, and breath counting techniques. I’ve continued to use these skills whenever I’m feeling stressed or overwhelmed, especially before an exam.
I struggled previously with managing my stress levels, so this has allowed me to recenter myself to better guide my thoughts and become a better student pharmacist.
Morgan: A breath of fresh air
Each week of this course was a breath of fresh air. The class took place on Mondays, providing a great reset. This class reminded me that although academics are important, you cannot pour from an empty cup. One of my favorite techniques that we discussed was the STOP approach, which stands for stop, take a breath, observe, and proceed. This is something I continue to use in my daily life when an obstacle or challenge comes up.
This course has definitely had lasting effects on my mindfulness journey and reminded me how important a healthy school–life balance is.
Tessa: Class helped me during a difficult time
I really enjoyed taking this course because it was a great way to ensure that I spent 2 hours on my well-being each week. It was very relaxing to attend a class and not worry about memorizing or taking notes for an exam. During the semester, I was also going through some difficult situations in my personal life, and I think this course helped me manage my emotions constructively.
I’m very grateful to have taken a class outside of the pharmacy bubble, and I would highly recommend a similar course to my peers!