Implementation of clerkship-specific spaces for debriefing at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 15327910 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Nina B Curkovic (0000-0003-2200-4988, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine), Logan M Locascio (Vanderbilt University, corresponding author), Logan Locascio (Vanderbilt University School of Medicine), Sachin Aggarwal (0000-0001-9884-3396, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine), Luke Finck (0000-0002-9936-4001, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine), Jessica Turnbull (Vanderbilt University School of Medicine), Maie El-Sourady (0000-0003-0464-6039, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Palliative Care), Travis W Crook (Vanderbilt University School of Medicine) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 31 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 2630522-2630522 |
| Publication date | 2026-02-17 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Medical Education Online (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1087-2981 • E-ISSN: 1087-2981 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/10872981.2026.2630522 |
| PMID | 41703751 |
| OpenAlex | W7130330393 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 10 |
Difficult experiences like challenging clinical situations, patient death, and navigation of team dynamics during clerkships can lead to distress for medical students during the transition to the clinical learning environment. Evidence suggests that debriefing and reflecting on distressing experiences benefit medical students; however, barriers to doing so persist. A needs assessment at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine (VUSM) demonstrated that additional opportunities for real-time, clerkship-specific debriefing were desired by second-year clerkship medical students. The CIRCLE (Cultivating Increased Resilience in the Clinical Learning Environment) Lunch & Debrief initiative was created to address this need. CIRCLE sessions were conducted once per 8-week clerkship block for two cohorts of VUSM second-year clerkship students. Students were optionally surveyed before and after sessions from December 2022 through May 2024. Student resilience was assessed using the Connor Davidson Resilience Scale© (CD-RISC 10). The proportion of students reporting distress stemming from health care team interactions and patient death demonstrated significant increases from blocks 1-3 to blocks 4-5. More students reported participation in debriefing following a distressing experience with peers than with faculty across all pre-session surveys (78% vs 37%; p = 1.6e-10). Reported comfort with asking to debrief with peers increased from 80% to 94% before and after sessions ( p = 0.006) and with faculty from 52% to 73% ( p = 0.004.) Of post-session survey respondents ( n = 71), 96% indicated they would attend a similar session in the future. Perceived support by the medical school curriculum to navigate emotional distress as a clerkship student increased from 69% to 90% when comparing pre- and post-session survey responses, respectively ( p = 0.003). Overall, reception of the CIRCLE Lunch & Debrief initiative by students was positive and was associated with increased perceived institutional support and student comfort with asking to debrief with both faculty and peers
Clinical clerkship · Curriculum · Debriefing · Distress · Distressing · Health care · Psychological resilience · Resilience (materials science · Session (web analytics · Healthcare professionals’ stress and burnout · Innovations in Medical Education · Nursing education and management
Psychometric analysis and refinement of the connor–davidson resilience scale (CD‐Risc)
Research electronic data capture (Redcap)—A metadata-driven methodology and workflow process for providing translational research informatics support
The Redcap consortium
Medical student resilience and stressful clinical events during clinical training
| Highly cited | No |
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