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Diversity – We’re not one size fits all
The United States has often been described as a “melting pot,” defined as diverse cultures and ethnicities coming together to form the rich fabric of our nation. These days, it seems that our fabric is a bit frayed.
DEIB (diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging) is dawning as a significant conversation. Each and every one of us is unique by age, gender, culture/ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic status, geographical location, race, and sexual identity – to name just a few aspects of our identity. Keeping these differences in mind, it is evident that none of us fits a “one size fits all” mold.
Some of these differences, such as cross-cultural cuisine and holidays, are enjoyed and celebrated as wonderful opportunities to learn from others, embrace our distinctions, and have them beneficially contribute to our lives. Other differences, however, are not understood or embraced and are, in fact, belittled and stigmatized. Sexual identity falls into this category. It behooves us as a country to become more aware and educated about this category in our identities, in order to understand it, quell our unfounded fear, learn to support one another, and improve our collective mental health.
Recent reports have shown that exposing students and teachers to sexual identity diversity education has sparked some backlash from parents and communities alike. Those opposed are citing concerns over introducing children to LGBTQ+ information, either embedded in the school curriculum or made available in school library reading materials. “Children should remain innocent” seems to be the message. Perhaps parents prefer to discuss this topic privately, at home. Either way, teaching about diversity does not damage one’s innocence or deprive parents of private conversations. In fact, it educates children by improving their awareness, tolerance, and acceptance of others’ differences, and can serve as a catalyst to further parental conversation.
There are kids everywhere who are starting to develop and understand their identities. Wouldn’t it be wonderful for them to know that whichever way they identify is okay, that they are not ‘weird’ or ‘different,’ but that in fact we are all different? Wouldn’t it be great for them to be able to explore and discuss their identities and journeys openly, and not have to hide for fear of retribution or bullying?
It is important for these children to know that they are not alone, that they have options, and that they don’t need to contemplate suicide because they believe that their identity makes them not worthy of being in this world.
Starting the conversation early on in life can empower our youth by planting the seed that people are not “one size fits all,” which is the element responsible for our being unique and human. Diversity can be woven into the rich fabric that defines our nation, rather than be a factor that unravels it.
April was National Diversity Awareness Month and we took time to celebrate our country’s cultural melting pot. By embracing our differences, we can show our children and ourselves how to better navigate diversity, which can help us all fit in.
Dr. Jarkon is a psychiatrist and director of the Center for Behavioral Health at the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine in Old Westbury, N.Y.
The United States has often been described as a “melting pot,” defined as diverse cultures and ethnicities coming together to form the rich fabric of our nation. These days, it seems that our fabric is a bit frayed.
DEIB (diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging) is dawning as a significant conversation. Each and every one of us is unique by age, gender, culture/ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic status, geographical location, race, and sexual identity – to name just a few aspects of our identity. Keeping these differences in mind, it is evident that none of us fits a “one size fits all” mold.
Some of these differences, such as cross-cultural cuisine and holidays, are enjoyed and celebrated as wonderful opportunities to learn from others, embrace our distinctions, and have them beneficially contribute to our lives. Other differences, however, are not understood or embraced and are, in fact, belittled and stigmatized. Sexual identity falls into this category. It behooves us as a country to become more aware and educated about this category in our identities, in order to understand it, quell our unfounded fear, learn to support one another, and improve our collective mental health.
Recent reports have shown that exposing students and teachers to sexual identity diversity education has sparked some backlash from parents and communities alike. Those opposed are citing concerns over introducing children to LGBTQ+ information, either embedded in the school curriculum or made available in school library reading materials. “Children should remain innocent” seems to be the message. Perhaps parents prefer to discuss this topic privately, at home. Either way, teaching about diversity does not damage one’s innocence or deprive parents of private conversations. In fact, it educates children by improving their awareness, tolerance, and acceptance of others’ differences, and can serve as a catalyst to further parental conversation.
There are kids everywhere who are starting to develop and understand their identities. Wouldn’t it be wonderful for them to know that whichever way they identify is okay, that they are not ‘weird’ or ‘different,’ but that in fact we are all different? Wouldn’t it be great for them to be able to explore and discuss their identities and journeys openly, and not have to hide for fear of retribution or bullying?
It is important for these children to know that they are not alone, that they have options, and that they don’t need to contemplate suicide because they believe that their identity makes them not worthy of being in this world.
Starting the conversation early on in life can empower our youth by planting the seed that people are not “one size fits all,” which is the element responsible for our being unique and human. Diversity can be woven into the rich fabric that defines our nation, rather than be a factor that unravels it.
April was National Diversity Awareness Month and we took time to celebrate our country’s cultural melting pot. By embracing our differences, we can show our children and ourselves how to better navigate diversity, which can help us all fit in.
Dr. Jarkon is a psychiatrist and director of the Center for Behavioral Health at the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine in Old Westbury, N.Y.
The United States has often been described as a “melting pot,” defined as diverse cultures and ethnicities coming together to form the rich fabric of our nation. These days, it seems that our fabric is a bit frayed.
DEIB (diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging) is dawning as a significant conversation. Each and every one of us is unique by age, gender, culture/ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic status, geographical location, race, and sexual identity – to name just a few aspects of our identity. Keeping these differences in mind, it is evident that none of us fits a “one size fits all” mold.
Some of these differences, such as cross-cultural cuisine and holidays, are enjoyed and celebrated as wonderful opportunities to learn from others, embrace our distinctions, and have them beneficially contribute to our lives. Other differences, however, are not understood or embraced and are, in fact, belittled and stigmatized. Sexual identity falls into this category. It behooves us as a country to become more aware and educated about this category in our identities, in order to understand it, quell our unfounded fear, learn to support one another, and improve our collective mental health.
Recent reports have shown that exposing students and teachers to sexual identity diversity education has sparked some backlash from parents and communities alike. Those opposed are citing concerns over introducing children to LGBTQ+ information, either embedded in the school curriculum or made available in school library reading materials. “Children should remain innocent” seems to be the message. Perhaps parents prefer to discuss this topic privately, at home. Either way, teaching about diversity does not damage one’s innocence or deprive parents of private conversations. In fact, it educates children by improving their awareness, tolerance, and acceptance of others’ differences, and can serve as a catalyst to further parental conversation.
There are kids everywhere who are starting to develop and understand their identities. Wouldn’t it be wonderful for them to know that whichever way they identify is okay, that they are not ‘weird’ or ‘different,’ but that in fact we are all different? Wouldn’t it be great for them to be able to explore and discuss their identities and journeys openly, and not have to hide for fear of retribution or bullying?
It is important for these children to know that they are not alone, that they have options, and that they don’t need to contemplate suicide because they believe that their identity makes them not worthy of being in this world.
Starting the conversation early on in life can empower our youth by planting the seed that people are not “one size fits all,” which is the element responsible for our being unique and human. Diversity can be woven into the rich fabric that defines our nation, rather than be a factor that unravels it.
April was National Diversity Awareness Month and we took time to celebrate our country’s cultural melting pot. By embracing our differences, we can show our children and ourselves how to better navigate diversity, which can help us all fit in.
Dr. Jarkon is a psychiatrist and director of the Center for Behavioral Health at the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine in Old Westbury, N.Y.
The mental health of health care professionals takes center stage
Mental illness has been waiting in the wings for years; ignored, ridiculed, minimized, and stigmatized. Those who succumbed to it tried to lend testimonials, but to no avail. Those who were spared its effects remained in disbelief. So, it stayed on the sidelines, growing in intensity and breadth, yet stifled by the masses, until 2 years ago.
In March 2020, when COVID-19 became a pandemic, the importance of mental health finally became undeniable. As the pandemic’s effects progressed and wreaked havoc on our nation, our mental illness rates simultaneously surged. This surge paralleled that of the COVID-19 pandemic’s and in fact, contributed to a secondary crisis, allowing mental health to finally be addressed and gain center stage status.
But “mental health” is not easily defined, as it takes on many forms and is expressed in a variety of ways and via a myriad of symptoms. It does not discriminate by gender, race, age, socioeconomic status, educational level, profession, religion, or geography. At times, mental health status is consistent but at other times it can fluctuate in intensity, duration, and expression. It can be difficult to manage, yet there are various treatment modalities that can be implemented to lessen the impact of mental illness. Stressful events seem to potentiate its manifestation and yet, there are times it seems to appear spontaneously, much as an uninvited guest.
Mental health has a strong synergistic relationship with physical health, as they are very interdependent and allow us to function at our best only when they are both operating optimally. It should come as no surprise then, that the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to the exponential surge of mental illnesses. Capitalizing on its nondiscriminatory nature, mental illness impacted a large segment of the population – both those suffering from COVID-19 as well as those treating them.
As the nation starts to heal from the immediate and lingering physical and emotional consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, President Biden has chosen to address and try to meet the needs of the health care heroes, the healers. The signing of H.R. 1667, the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act into law on March 18, 2022, showed dedication to the health care community that has given tirelessly to our nation during the COVID-19 pandemic, and is itself recuperating from that effort.
Taking a top-down approach is essential to assuring the health of the nation. If our healers are not healthy, physically and mentally, they will not be able treat those whom they are dedicated to helping. Openly discussing and acknowledging the mental health problems of health care workers as a community makes it okay to not be okay. It normalizes the need for health care workers to prioritize their own mental health. It can also start to ease the fear of professional backlash or repercussions for practicing self-care.
I, for one, am very grateful for the prioritizing and promoting of the importance of mental health and wellness amongst health care workers. This helps to reduce the stigma of mental illness, helps us understand its impact, and allows us to formulate strategies and solutions to address its effects. The time has come.
Dr. Jarkon is a psychiatrist and director of the Center for Behavioral Health at the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine in Old Westbury, N.Y.
Mental illness has been waiting in the wings for years; ignored, ridiculed, minimized, and stigmatized. Those who succumbed to it tried to lend testimonials, but to no avail. Those who were spared its effects remained in disbelief. So, it stayed on the sidelines, growing in intensity and breadth, yet stifled by the masses, until 2 years ago.
In March 2020, when COVID-19 became a pandemic, the importance of mental health finally became undeniable. As the pandemic’s effects progressed and wreaked havoc on our nation, our mental illness rates simultaneously surged. This surge paralleled that of the COVID-19 pandemic’s and in fact, contributed to a secondary crisis, allowing mental health to finally be addressed and gain center stage status.
But “mental health” is not easily defined, as it takes on many forms and is expressed in a variety of ways and via a myriad of symptoms. It does not discriminate by gender, race, age, socioeconomic status, educational level, profession, religion, or geography. At times, mental health status is consistent but at other times it can fluctuate in intensity, duration, and expression. It can be difficult to manage, yet there are various treatment modalities that can be implemented to lessen the impact of mental illness. Stressful events seem to potentiate its manifestation and yet, there are times it seems to appear spontaneously, much as an uninvited guest.
Mental health has a strong synergistic relationship with physical health, as they are very interdependent and allow us to function at our best only when they are both operating optimally. It should come as no surprise then, that the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to the exponential surge of mental illnesses. Capitalizing on its nondiscriminatory nature, mental illness impacted a large segment of the population – both those suffering from COVID-19 as well as those treating them.
As the nation starts to heal from the immediate and lingering physical and emotional consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, President Biden has chosen to address and try to meet the needs of the health care heroes, the healers. The signing of H.R. 1667, the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act into law on March 18, 2022, showed dedication to the health care community that has given tirelessly to our nation during the COVID-19 pandemic, and is itself recuperating from that effort.
Taking a top-down approach is essential to assuring the health of the nation. If our healers are not healthy, physically and mentally, they will not be able treat those whom they are dedicated to helping. Openly discussing and acknowledging the mental health problems of health care workers as a community makes it okay to not be okay. It normalizes the need for health care workers to prioritize their own mental health. It can also start to ease the fear of professional backlash or repercussions for practicing self-care.
I, for one, am very grateful for the prioritizing and promoting of the importance of mental health and wellness amongst health care workers. This helps to reduce the stigma of mental illness, helps us understand its impact, and allows us to formulate strategies and solutions to address its effects. The time has come.
Dr. Jarkon is a psychiatrist and director of the Center for Behavioral Health at the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine in Old Westbury, N.Y.
Mental illness has been waiting in the wings for years; ignored, ridiculed, minimized, and stigmatized. Those who succumbed to it tried to lend testimonials, but to no avail. Those who were spared its effects remained in disbelief. So, it stayed on the sidelines, growing in intensity and breadth, yet stifled by the masses, until 2 years ago.
In March 2020, when COVID-19 became a pandemic, the importance of mental health finally became undeniable. As the pandemic’s effects progressed and wreaked havoc on our nation, our mental illness rates simultaneously surged. This surge paralleled that of the COVID-19 pandemic’s and in fact, contributed to a secondary crisis, allowing mental health to finally be addressed and gain center stage status.
But “mental health” is not easily defined, as it takes on many forms and is expressed in a variety of ways and via a myriad of symptoms. It does not discriminate by gender, race, age, socioeconomic status, educational level, profession, religion, or geography. At times, mental health status is consistent but at other times it can fluctuate in intensity, duration, and expression. It can be difficult to manage, yet there are various treatment modalities that can be implemented to lessen the impact of mental illness. Stressful events seem to potentiate its manifestation and yet, there are times it seems to appear spontaneously, much as an uninvited guest.
Mental health has a strong synergistic relationship with physical health, as they are very interdependent and allow us to function at our best only when they are both operating optimally. It should come as no surprise then, that the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to the exponential surge of mental illnesses. Capitalizing on its nondiscriminatory nature, mental illness impacted a large segment of the population – both those suffering from COVID-19 as well as those treating them.
As the nation starts to heal from the immediate and lingering physical and emotional consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, President Biden has chosen to address and try to meet the needs of the health care heroes, the healers. The signing of H.R. 1667, the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act into law on March 18, 2022, showed dedication to the health care community that has given tirelessly to our nation during the COVID-19 pandemic, and is itself recuperating from that effort.
Taking a top-down approach is essential to assuring the health of the nation. If our healers are not healthy, physically and mentally, they will not be able treat those whom they are dedicated to helping. Openly discussing and acknowledging the mental health problems of health care workers as a community makes it okay to not be okay. It normalizes the need for health care workers to prioritize their own mental health. It can also start to ease the fear of professional backlash or repercussions for practicing self-care.
I, for one, am very grateful for the prioritizing and promoting of the importance of mental health and wellness amongst health care workers. This helps to reduce the stigma of mental illness, helps us understand its impact, and allows us to formulate strategies and solutions to address its effects. The time has come.
Dr. Jarkon is a psychiatrist and director of the Center for Behavioral Health at the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine in Old Westbury, N.Y.
Pandemic restrictions ignite innovative pivot for psychiatry
As medical school faculty members – and our students – know well, the COVID-19 pandemic forced us to become creative and shift much of our curricula online. Many hospitals chose to limit medical student rotations because of safety concerns. Students fell victim to canceled psychiatry rotations and electives during the pandemic’s early days. Privacy issues, combined with stigma tied to mental illness, made this shift to virtual instruction particularly challenging. But as a field, we persevered! And, as we learned during our shift toward telemedicine, many of the changes we made in medical education are probably here to stay.
Our team at the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM) was able to implement a novel curriculum that allowed our students to learn psychiatry and maintain high-quality medical school education.
We developed an online course for third-year students’ rotation in psychiatry, with several modules that focused on a variety of psychiatric topics and disorders, including the basic classifications and categories of depression, anxiety, personality disorders, and psychotic disorders. There were also video encounters available showing actual patient encounters. On completion of the online module, a faculty session was held to discuss topics of concern/confusion to the students, areas of interest, and a variety of related topics, such as professionalism in psychiatry, essentials of the mental status exam, management of diverse populations, and COVID repercussions in psychiatry.
For fourth-year students, we developed a telemedicine psychiatry elective, which allowed the students to observe psychiatric evaluations, psychiatric medication review visits, and even follow-up psychotherapy sessions, with the school’s clinical psychologists. The new method was minimally invasive, and it was accepted by patients and welcomed by the students.
During a time when hospitals were limiting onsite student rotations and discouraging patient contact, medical students still needed to experience patient interactions. As the director of the school’s Center for Behavioral Health, I designed an additional program that allowed students to participate in observing patients who presented with psychiatric complaints and symptoms. It had to be confidential in nature, accessible, and safe.
I recalled my own training in a hospital setting, where students and residents were allowed to observe a patient being evaluated by an attending, through a one-way mirror. It was a method that was acceptable at the time in a hospital, but unfortunately, not in a private office setting. As such, students and residents experienced such an interaction in acute inpatient and/or outpatient clinics of a hospital. The experience was invaluable.
The concept was simple, yet very efficient. The clinicians in the Center for Behavioral Health were seeing all patients with psychiatric needs via a HIPAA-compliant telemedicine platform. Access was granted for students – with the patient’s consent – and they “entered the session” without being seen or heard. This presented little to no distraction to the patient, and the student was able to observe a range of clinical sessions.
The course also provided online supplemental modules, including essential psychiatric topics, psychopharmacology, and a psychotherapeutic module that discussed a myriad of therapeutic interventions. In addition, the student was supervised weekly by the course director, the psychopharmacologist, and the clinical psychologist. The course director provided daily wrap-up reviews as well.
Originally, this new approach was envisioned as a temporary solution for use during the pandemic. But it has become clear that this approach would be beneficial post pandemic as well. Most of the students who participated in the course were actually interested in pursuing psychiatry as their future specialty. It allowed them to observe a population of patients firsthand that they might encounter in private practice, as opposed to only hospital settings.
Being present in a session with a patient with psychiatric symptoms and diagnoses has always been a challenge. Many patients refuse to have another medical professional in the room because of the intimate details being discussed and their associated stigma. The patients’ inability to see or hear the student during the sessions allows them to ignore the students’ presence – or at least not be intimidated by it. This, therefore, allows the students access and affords them a unique and memorable educational experience.
The pandemic curtailed and altered medical students’ traditional exposure to patients, but we found innovative ways to redefine it. As difficult as COVID-19 has been for the health care community, we have been able to use the restrictions forced by the pandemic to identify innovative ways to improve the education of our medical students.
In addition to serving as director of the Center for Behavioral Health at NYITCOM in Old Westbury, N.Y., Dr. Jarkon is assistant professor in the department of family medicine. She has no disclosures.
As medical school faculty members – and our students – know well, the COVID-19 pandemic forced us to become creative and shift much of our curricula online. Many hospitals chose to limit medical student rotations because of safety concerns. Students fell victim to canceled psychiatry rotations and electives during the pandemic’s early days. Privacy issues, combined with stigma tied to mental illness, made this shift to virtual instruction particularly challenging. But as a field, we persevered! And, as we learned during our shift toward telemedicine, many of the changes we made in medical education are probably here to stay.
Our team at the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM) was able to implement a novel curriculum that allowed our students to learn psychiatry and maintain high-quality medical school education.
We developed an online course for third-year students’ rotation in psychiatry, with several modules that focused on a variety of psychiatric topics and disorders, including the basic classifications and categories of depression, anxiety, personality disorders, and psychotic disorders. There were also video encounters available showing actual patient encounters. On completion of the online module, a faculty session was held to discuss topics of concern/confusion to the students, areas of interest, and a variety of related topics, such as professionalism in psychiatry, essentials of the mental status exam, management of diverse populations, and COVID repercussions in psychiatry.
For fourth-year students, we developed a telemedicine psychiatry elective, which allowed the students to observe psychiatric evaluations, psychiatric medication review visits, and even follow-up psychotherapy sessions, with the school’s clinical psychologists. The new method was minimally invasive, and it was accepted by patients and welcomed by the students.
During a time when hospitals were limiting onsite student rotations and discouraging patient contact, medical students still needed to experience patient interactions. As the director of the school’s Center for Behavioral Health, I designed an additional program that allowed students to participate in observing patients who presented with psychiatric complaints and symptoms. It had to be confidential in nature, accessible, and safe.
I recalled my own training in a hospital setting, where students and residents were allowed to observe a patient being evaluated by an attending, through a one-way mirror. It was a method that was acceptable at the time in a hospital, but unfortunately, not in a private office setting. As such, students and residents experienced such an interaction in acute inpatient and/or outpatient clinics of a hospital. The experience was invaluable.
The concept was simple, yet very efficient. The clinicians in the Center for Behavioral Health were seeing all patients with psychiatric needs via a HIPAA-compliant telemedicine platform. Access was granted for students – with the patient’s consent – and they “entered the session” without being seen or heard. This presented little to no distraction to the patient, and the student was able to observe a range of clinical sessions.
The course also provided online supplemental modules, including essential psychiatric topics, psychopharmacology, and a psychotherapeutic module that discussed a myriad of therapeutic interventions. In addition, the student was supervised weekly by the course director, the psychopharmacologist, and the clinical psychologist. The course director provided daily wrap-up reviews as well.
Originally, this new approach was envisioned as a temporary solution for use during the pandemic. But it has become clear that this approach would be beneficial post pandemic as well. Most of the students who participated in the course were actually interested in pursuing psychiatry as their future specialty. It allowed them to observe a population of patients firsthand that they might encounter in private practice, as opposed to only hospital settings.
Being present in a session with a patient with psychiatric symptoms and diagnoses has always been a challenge. Many patients refuse to have another medical professional in the room because of the intimate details being discussed and their associated stigma. The patients’ inability to see or hear the student during the sessions allows them to ignore the students’ presence – or at least not be intimidated by it. This, therefore, allows the students access and affords them a unique and memorable educational experience.
The pandemic curtailed and altered medical students’ traditional exposure to patients, but we found innovative ways to redefine it. As difficult as COVID-19 has been for the health care community, we have been able to use the restrictions forced by the pandemic to identify innovative ways to improve the education of our medical students.
In addition to serving as director of the Center for Behavioral Health at NYITCOM in Old Westbury, N.Y., Dr. Jarkon is assistant professor in the department of family medicine. She has no disclosures.
As medical school faculty members – and our students – know well, the COVID-19 pandemic forced us to become creative and shift much of our curricula online. Many hospitals chose to limit medical student rotations because of safety concerns. Students fell victim to canceled psychiatry rotations and electives during the pandemic’s early days. Privacy issues, combined with stigma tied to mental illness, made this shift to virtual instruction particularly challenging. But as a field, we persevered! And, as we learned during our shift toward telemedicine, many of the changes we made in medical education are probably here to stay.
Our team at the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM) was able to implement a novel curriculum that allowed our students to learn psychiatry and maintain high-quality medical school education.
We developed an online course for third-year students’ rotation in psychiatry, with several modules that focused on a variety of psychiatric topics and disorders, including the basic classifications and categories of depression, anxiety, personality disorders, and psychotic disorders. There were also video encounters available showing actual patient encounters. On completion of the online module, a faculty session was held to discuss topics of concern/confusion to the students, areas of interest, and a variety of related topics, such as professionalism in psychiatry, essentials of the mental status exam, management of diverse populations, and COVID repercussions in psychiatry.
For fourth-year students, we developed a telemedicine psychiatry elective, which allowed the students to observe psychiatric evaluations, psychiatric medication review visits, and even follow-up psychotherapy sessions, with the school’s clinical psychologists. The new method was minimally invasive, and it was accepted by patients and welcomed by the students.
During a time when hospitals were limiting onsite student rotations and discouraging patient contact, medical students still needed to experience patient interactions. As the director of the school’s Center for Behavioral Health, I designed an additional program that allowed students to participate in observing patients who presented with psychiatric complaints and symptoms. It had to be confidential in nature, accessible, and safe.
I recalled my own training in a hospital setting, where students and residents were allowed to observe a patient being evaluated by an attending, through a one-way mirror. It was a method that was acceptable at the time in a hospital, but unfortunately, not in a private office setting. As such, students and residents experienced such an interaction in acute inpatient and/or outpatient clinics of a hospital. The experience was invaluable.
The concept was simple, yet very efficient. The clinicians in the Center for Behavioral Health were seeing all patients with psychiatric needs via a HIPAA-compliant telemedicine platform. Access was granted for students – with the patient’s consent – and they “entered the session” without being seen or heard. This presented little to no distraction to the patient, and the student was able to observe a range of clinical sessions.
The course also provided online supplemental modules, including essential psychiatric topics, psychopharmacology, and a psychotherapeutic module that discussed a myriad of therapeutic interventions. In addition, the student was supervised weekly by the course director, the psychopharmacologist, and the clinical psychologist. The course director provided daily wrap-up reviews as well.
Originally, this new approach was envisioned as a temporary solution for use during the pandemic. But it has become clear that this approach would be beneficial post pandemic as well. Most of the students who participated in the course were actually interested in pursuing psychiatry as their future specialty. It allowed them to observe a population of patients firsthand that they might encounter in private practice, as opposed to only hospital settings.
Being present in a session with a patient with psychiatric symptoms and diagnoses has always been a challenge. Many patients refuse to have another medical professional in the room because of the intimate details being discussed and their associated stigma. The patients’ inability to see or hear the student during the sessions allows them to ignore the students’ presence – or at least not be intimidated by it. This, therefore, allows the students access and affords them a unique and memorable educational experience.
The pandemic curtailed and altered medical students’ traditional exposure to patients, but we found innovative ways to redefine it. As difficult as COVID-19 has been for the health care community, we have been able to use the restrictions forced by the pandemic to identify innovative ways to improve the education of our medical students.
In addition to serving as director of the Center for Behavioral Health at NYITCOM in Old Westbury, N.Y., Dr. Jarkon is assistant professor in the department of family medicine. She has no disclosures.