Sustainable students to become sustainable doctors

The Medicine Programme is known for its intense pace and high-pressure environment. For many students, it is a challenge not only to keep up with exams, courses, and lectures, but also to become part of the wider social community at the university – often in an entirely new city.

To better equip students to manage anxiety, demands and other challenges, and to create the conditions for a more sustainable student experience and career, Uppsala University has initiated the “Sustainable student, sustainable doctor” initiative. The project is inspired by a similar initiative at Linköping University and aims to provide students with tools to manage challenges, while, at the same time, fostering greater awareness of their emotional responses.

Johan Bengtsson, post-doctoral researcher at the Department of Medical Sciences and project manager for the initiative, explains why the project is important:

“We see that medical education is demanding, and that many students have high ambitions, often combined with a history of excelling in their previous academic environments. By equipping them with tools to manage this, we can create better conditions for a sustainable study experience and, in the long run, a sustainable career as a doctor.”

A central idea of the project is that medical students, alongside learning about diseases and treatments, should also learn about their own emotional reactions and how these influence their behaviours and decisions. It is about cultivating a conscious approach to challenges and giving students the opportunity to understand how emotional responses can be managed constructively – an essential part of their future role as doctors.

From the first to the final semester

The project is not a one-off effort, but a continuous initiative that runs as a strand throughout the entire programme. The first part of the project is introduced already during the first semester. Here, students work with concrete exercises and tools designed to help them manage the pressures that arise as the demands of the programme increase.

“We want to create an awareness of what happens in the body and mind when one experiences stress. By helping students to understand their reactions, they can also learn to manage them more effectively and make more considered decisions,” says Johan Bengtsson. He continues:

“A significant part of the approach is based on tools from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). It is absolutely not about training students to become therapists, but rather about applying elements from those techniques to their study situations.”

As students progress through the programme, the perspective broadens, and the strand integrates into existing components of the curriculum.
For example, in the seventh semester, students practise analysing their own reactions and behaviours during simulated challenging patient conversations with actors, to develop the skills required in real patient encounters.

“These exercises are extremely valuable, as they give students with the opportunity to reflect on their own emotional responses and how these affect their professional practice. It allows them to truly understand what is required to be a good physician – not only from a technical perspective, but from a human one,” says Johan.

Peer learning as a key element

Another central component of the project is peer learning. Students in the later stages of the programme serve as counsellors for those at the beginning of their studies. This not only strengthens the sense of community among students but also provides senior students with an opportunity to reflect on their own experiences and pass on advice to newer students.

“Peer learning offers senior students a chance to share their own lessons and experiences – what has been important to them. It strengthens both personal reflection and social cohesion, which are crucial in managing the pressures within and surrounding the programme,” explains Johan.

“For many students, the first period at university is particularly challenging, and having someone to talk to and receive support from can often be decisive in helping them move forward.”

Long-term effects

Since the launch of “Sustainable student, sustainable doctor”, the project has received highly positive feedback from both students and staff. Several students have expressed that the initiative has significantly contributed to their well-being and ability to manage the demands of the programme. However, according to Johan Bengtsson, it is still too early to draw definitive conclusions:

“We are receiving very positive feedback. But, we do not yet have sufficient experience to assess the long-term effects or results. This process will take time, and we think of it more as a marathon than a sprint,” he says.

“The goal is for this to become an integral part of the programme at Uppsala University – that working with sustainability in a broad sense becomes as natural as teaching the foundations of medicine,” concludes Johan Bengtsson.

Robin Widing