M4-Intern Mentorship Project

Wayne State University School of Medicine (WSUSOM) in 2018 formed Learning Communities (LCs), that facilitate student engagement, comradery, and mentoring. These programs include medical student-premed, near-peer, and faculty/attending mentorships. There has been an identified gap in mentorship between near-peer and faculty/attending mentorship, and that is near-peer mentors at WSUSOM have yet to complete the residency process to guide other students through it. Moreover, faculty/attending mentors are more removed from residency and may not have relevant advice for students. As resident physicians are recent graduates, they are more likely to provide relevant insight about residency applications, academic challenges, and efficiency than attendings. We aim to assess the extent of the gap between faculty/attending and peer mentorships. MS4 at WSUSOM (N=33) self-reported their: confidence in transitioning to residency; the gaps they believe such mentorship will fill; and whether they, themselves, would participate in an MS-resident fellowship program. Results indicated that MS4s feel somewhat confident in their abilities to transition to residency. They believe that a resident-MS mentorship would help in the interview and application process, as well as, the residency program choosing process. Furthermore, if given the opportunity, all the students would consider joining the program. We are currently looking at Wayne State School of Medicine MS4’s proficiency in leadership, empathy and communication via a likert scale, and using this to drive our implementation of our program. We hope to implement a student-resident mentorship program, to reassure students on their journey to residency

Connections between Rape Myth Acceptance and Favorite Musical Artist among College Students

The focus of this study is to examine the relationship between the characteristics of a person’s favorite musical artist and their level of rape myth acceptance (RMA). I asked 115 undergraduates from the subject pool to rate the most frequently mentioned musical artists from the study done by Miller, McAuslan, and Leonard (under review). The participants rated the artists on factors related to sexuality, aggressiveness, narcissism and whether they see these artists as a “role model.” This data is then incorporated with the data from approximately 337 emerging adults from Miller, McAuslan, and Lenoard’s (under review) study who have taken an RMA scale. The results indicated that gender plays a role in RMA and who we identify is our favorite musical artist. However, sexuality, aggression, arrogance and bad/good role model behaviors did not predict RMA scores. Results provides further evidence for gender’s role in RMA and the identification and parasocial interaction theory and provides direction for further research to extinguish rape myths and the acceptance of such myths

The Relationship Among Depression, Motivational Factors, and Diabetes Management In Emerging Adults with Type 1 Diabetes

Self-determination theory (SDT) posits intrinsic motivation arises from fulfilling three psychological needs – autonomy, self-efficacy, and relatedness. SDT is useful for understanding the challenges emerging adults (EA, age 18-30) living with a chronic illness, like type 1 diabetes (T1D), face including developing independence, autonomy and new relationships while parental support and involvement decrease. This places EAs at risk for sub-optimal health. Depression can further decrease motivation. The aim of this study is to test the hypothesis that depressive symptoms are associated with motivation (autonomy and self-efficacy) which are associated with diabetes management (DM) in EAs with T1D. Participants (N=52) were from a larger randomized clinical trial testing an intervention to improve DM. At study entry, EAs endorsing higher depression levels also reported statistically significantly lower self-efficacy on the Perceived Health Competency Scale (PHCS; r=-0.350, p=0.011). Self-efficacy assessed by the Diabetes Empowerment Scale (DES; r=-0.217,p=0.123) was not associated with depression, nor was autonomy assessed, using the Treatment Self-Regulation Scale (TSRQ; r=-0.157,p=0.267), although both were in the hypothesized direction. EAs reports of self-efficacy (rPHCS=0.123,p=0.206; rDES=0.055,p=0.701) and autonomy (r=0.178,p=0.206) were not correlated with DM, although responses were in the intended direction. Therefore, t in this sample, there was partial support for the hypothesis that depression reduces motivation was partially supported, but there was not enough support for the relationship between motivation and –DM link

Assessing Peer Mentor Skill Development in Participating in a Novel Medical Student Mentoring Initiative

BackgroundLearning communities in medical schools create a bridge for senior students to engage with junior peers, providing advice and support as mentors. In this process, mentors are likely to gain skills in communication, empathy, and leadership - well received traits for residency. Methods We aim to elucidate an objective measure of mentor growth and development during the mentorship program. We will evaluate opinions on the program\u27s ability to foster professional attributes including leadership, communication, and empathy; determining features that benefit them while assessing for paradigms of improvement. We will survey 24 M2-students through self-rated queries on a Likert scale. This survey will be administered to mentors at two time-points: half-way and at the end of the program. Results From the mid-point survey, 22 out of 24 total mentors responded. Most mentors feel satisfied with the support that they receive from the program, specifically with the time commitment while not feeling overwhelmed with their duties. Finally, mentors find an importance in building mentee confidence and helping mentees to meet their goals, but most do not feel skilled at this. Conclusion The survey results provide valuable insight regarding mentors’ personal and professional development. We identified mentors’ needs for increased support. In a follow-up study, we will assess how the program can develop educational interventions to aid mentors in developing abilities to communicate, lead, and mentor. We additionally hope to establish a rigorous quality-assessment tool to be used year-over-year in assessing program development while also defining avenues to improve mentors’ professional development

Learning Community Student-Resident Physician Mentorship

Wayne State University School of Medicine (WSUSOM) in 2018 formed Learning Communities (LCs), that facilitate student engagement, comradery, and mentoring. These programs include medical student-premed, near-peer, and faculty/attending mentorships. There has been an identified gap in mentorship between near-peer and faculty/attending mentorship, and that is near-peer mentors at WSUSOM have yet to complete the residency process to guide other students through it. Moreover, faculty/attending mentors are more removed from residency and may not have relevant advice for students. As resident physicians are recent graduates, they are more likely to provide relevant insight about residency applications, academic challenges, and efficiency than attendings. We aim to assess the extent of the gap between faculty/attending and peer mentorships. MS4 at WSUSOM (N=33) self-reported their: confidence in transitioning to residency; the gaps they believe such mentorship will fill; and whether they, themselves, would participate in an MS-resident fellowship program. Results indicated that MS4s feel somewhat confident in their abilities to transition to residency. They believe that a resident-MS mentorship would help in the interview and application process, as well as, the residency program choosing process. Furthermore, if given the opportunity, all the students would consider joining the program. We hope to implement a student-resident mentorship program, to reassure students on their journey to residency

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Emerging Adults with Type 1 Diabetes

In March 2020, COVID-19 began spreading across the US. People with underlying health conditions, like type 1 diabetes (T1D), were at elevated risk for a severe COVID-19 infection. Recommended mitigation strategies included mandatory lockdowns, quarantines, and mask mandates. Emerging adults’ (EA, age 16-25) unique developmental stage, with its focus on the development of identity, independence, and autonomy, places EAs at greater risk for sub-optimal diabetes management. In this study, ten EAs with T1D were recruited from a diabetes clinic within an urban children’s hospital to participate in qualitative interviews during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic (May-June 2020). Using framework analysis, two researchers analyzed interviews, where five themes emerged from EA’s experiences were specific to COVID-19 (perceptions of the pandemic and strategies for coping with it) and three described personal experiences (disruptions to daily life, impacts on diabetes, and affective responses). Half the EAs interviewed agreed that having diabetes placed them at elevated risk for severe COVID-19 and strictly adhered to mitigation strategies. Disruptions in daily life included changes in sleeping, eating, and socialization patterns and economic stability (job loss and increased hours among essential workers). EAs’ experienced challenges in maintaining their diabetes supplies and disruptions/irregularities in their diabetes care. EAs’ described increased stress and worry. Understanding EAs’ experiences may provide insight into their specific needs and how to support EAs with T1D during unexpected crises. In particular, telehealth has expanded during the pandemic to ensure access to mental and physical healthcare

Learning Communities: Do They Improve Imposter Syndrome and Loneliness Among Medical Students?

Current literature links imposter syndrome (IS), isolation, and locus of control (LOC). Learning communities (LCs) serve to directly and effectively combat loneliness, feelings of isolation, and better promote students’ wellbeing and success. We hypothesized that those who attend more LC events will score lower on the IS scale and lower on the social loneliness scale. Furthermore, those who scored higher on IS and social loneliness are more likely to have an external LOC. To test this, a survey was sent to the Classes of 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 at Wayne State University School of Medicine, resulting in 144 participants. The survey included questions from the following: gender, age, class, number of LC events attended, number of non-LC events attended, IS, loneliness, and LOC. Surprisingly, it was found that there was not a significant correlation between the number of LC events attended and IS, loneliness, and LOC. However, a slight positive correlation between loneliness scores and the number of non-LC social events attended was found. Furthermore, there were correlations between IS, loneliness, and LOC. In summary, this study coincides with current literature in the connection between gender and IS, loneliness, and external LOC, while contradicting literature on the connection between IS and loneliness. However, the study fails to affirm that LCs decrease feelings of loneliness and IS. Further studies on the different types of LCs and how they contribute to the student body may shed some light on the gaps between LCs, IS, and loneliness