Student Wellness
Expandable List
Student and Resident Wellness
Medical school is very demanding and it is not always easy for students to achieve and maintain the multidimensional levels of wellness that they need and want. So much to do and so little time! In recognition of this, the Student Affairs Office has developed and run programs to help you take time to find the right balance between you, school and work.
Financial Wellness
The Financial Competency Curriculum developed at McMaster University has one overall goal: to make future Health Professionals knowledgeable about Personal Finance issues in an unbiased manner. The hope is that this reduces stress regarding your finances so you can focus on what’s of primary concern to you: thriving in your current program and future career.
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STUDENT AFFAIRS AT NRC
Student Affairs at the Niagara Regional Campus supports all learners. Undergraduate MD students and postgraduate residents have access to confidential and free assistance with personal, learning and career concerns.
We offer support, information and/or referrals around any personal or professional issues you may be facing. We offer a number of events and workshops throughout the year on several wellness topics.
Career Planning
Learners are supported by a robust career counselling program.The career counsellors attend NRC monthly to implement their cross-campus programming and individual sessions. We offer resources and support to assist with your decision making and goals. This is accomplished by providing:
- Confidential career counseling
- Online and print medical career resources
- Information sessions on medical specialties
- Workshops on personality types and its relationship to medicine
- Assistance when applying for medical residency programs (CaRMs).
Learning Assistance
Student Affairs provides assistance to students looking to address their educational challenges. Students can access help with exam writing, studying, time management, and learning support. Three local Learning Assistance Tutors are available to assist at any time.
Also available is a handbook to assist students in their transition to Problem Based Learning: Approaching PBL Practically: A Guide for Students by Students (PDF)
Student Advisors
Each undergraduate MD student is assigned a student advisor. The advisor monitors your academic progress throughout your time in medical school. These advisors are volunteer faculty members familiar with the UGME and the special concerns and challenges during medical school. The advisor is not involved in your evaluation.
Community Service Learning
Community Service-Learning is a direct, hands-on learning approach to education and community development. NRC supports students in the development of new skills and civic citizenship through a variety of learning environments and experiences.
There are several ways to get involved and be part of this distinctive learning experience! Whether it is at an international level, or throughout the Niagara region, NRC will work together with community health services to facilitate unique educational opportunities.
Student and Resident Wellness
The high demands of being a doctor school can be quite overwhelming. Maintaining physical, mental and social well-being during the three year program, residency and practice is essential. To address your wellness needs, we can enhance your academic success and career by providing a wide range of events, workshops and other initiatives announced throughout the year, we provide leadership and resources to help you maintain your physical, mental and professional health and wellness.
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WELLNESS AT WRC
Physician self-care is a serious concern. We know that physicians and medical leaners are prone to burnout, which is defined by the World Health Organization as a ‘state of vital exhaustion.’ In the work place, burnout is defined by emotional exhaustion, de-personalization and reduced sense of accomplishment. We also know that medical learners with burnout are more likely to make mistakes, with lower cognitive performance and clinical reasoning. In addition, burnout may lead to other symptoms such as fatigue, absenteeism, decreased productivity and physician job satisfaction. If burnout is not addressed, it can lead to depression. Tragically, the rates of depression and suicide in practicing physicians and medical trainees are greater than in the general population. In response to this alarming evidence and to help physicians and medical learners protect against burnout, the Michael G. DeGroote Medical School at McMaster University (Waterloo Regional Campus) is actively promoting Wellness initiatives for their medical learners, and physician faculty members to build resilience and to teach about the importance of self–care.
Below is a list of current wellness initiatives being promoted by the Waterloo Regional Campus
WRC Wellness Committee
An important part of Wellness at WRC is our campus wellness committee. The committee consists of medical students, residents, staff, and faculty and works with Student Affairs to develop programming and events to encourage wellness on our campus.
WRC Wellness Model
The Wellness Model at WRC include a variety of activities collated from WRC stakeholder feedback under the six identified themes:
WRC Daily Wellness Strategy
The WRC Wellness Strategy aims to provide virtual and in-person resources and programming for our learners, faculty, and staff. In addition to online resources which can be accessed at any time, the wellness committee has developed monthly Wellness Events which highlight the Pillars or Themes identified in the WRC Wellness Model. Each month, one or two of the WRC Wellness Themes will be highlighted through a targeted event. These events will also be promoted by the Student and Residents Affair network and by the WRC Wellness Committee.