Written by Michael Maalouf (McGill Medicine, Class of 2024)
Medicine and Dentistry students are part of a unique experience. Through rigorous training, they will become skilled in helping patients facing challenging moments in their lives. However, this comes with a measurable amount of responsibility and stress. From the first year, students are expected to learn and retain a large volume of information, ranging from public health to molecular genetics and microscopy. Furthermore, students must learn to be strong interviewers, listeners, and detectives, as they learn how to recognize various diseases and apply the right treatment. With all of this, it is critical that Medicine and Dentistry students have strong support networks to protect and strengthen their mental health ahead of the challenges faced during medical training. This is especially important in these times, where the COVID-19 pandemic has increased social isolation and loneliness among students.
In light of this, students of the McGill Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences have taken initiative to improve access to this social support that students need. Namely, Charles Lepage and other students enrolled in Medicine and Dentistry at McGill University have developed the Medical and Dental Students' Peer Support Network. When asked to describe the new initiative, Charles said, “The goal of the Medical and Dental Students' Peer Support Network is to provide a safe space for students to talk with other students who understand their situation well.” He adds that “Given how unique the experience of going through medical or dentistry school is, we thought that having a Peer Support Network specifically targeted towards these students might be beneficial.”
As described by the Medical and Dental Students' Peer Support Network, students from different years of medicine and dentistry have gone through the Student Wellness Hub training to become certified Peer Supporters in order to offer a confidential and non-judgmental space to open up and chat with someone who understands the unique challenges students may face.
The Peer Support Network initiative was inspired by the Canadian Peer Support Network, which provides active listening training throughout Canada. Charles LePage and other students of the McGill Medicine Class of 2023 did a pilot project as part of the medical curriculum’s Wellness lecture, where students provided a sample of an active listening workshop to their own peers. Right away, it became clear that there was a strong interest from classmates in supporting their peers through active listening. This sparked the move forward towards the Peer Support Network project.
Charles LePage worked closely with colleagues to develop the project and now they have 15 medical and dental students who went through the weekend long training offered by the Student Wellness Hub to become Peer Supporters. This training teaches active listening techniques and emphasizes the importance of confidentiality when offering peer support. In the future, Charles and colleagues aim to make the Peer Support Network a mainstay of the McGill medicine community, and states
“I strongly believe in it, in the Peer Supporters, and in the concept of peer support and active listening. I hope that this Network becomes a permanent feature of the Faculties of Medicine and Dentistry.”
The Medical and Dental Students' Peer Support Network exemplifies the strong sense of community felt by healthcare students at McGill, despite the barriers to social gatherings caused by the current pandemic. This initiative brings to life the health advocacy lessons taught early on in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences curriculum. It is important to remember that students are not alone. By connecting with classmates and providing support to one-another, students learn to, not only, have their future patients at heart, but also their peers.
Students can enroll in the Medical and Dental Students' Peer Support Network using the link below:https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdPWiW-OXRhV_NhpRN61pFZ2mWNWtHfHFFuZ0LrInvrlXwxXg/viewform