The rigorous nature of health professions training often leads to significant stress, affecting student well-being and performance. This session highlights an evidence-based interprofessional course developed at the University of Florida titled “The Happy Class,” and is designed to equip students with tools for cultivating wellness. The six-week course includes emphasizing practices that support personal growth, meaningful relationships and contentment through discussions, experiential activities and independent learning. Topics include resilience, emotion regulation, boundary setting, effective communication and strategies for preventing burnout. Participants will engage in discussions and activities designed to inspire ideas for fostering wellness in health care education.
Learning Objectives:
Describe the structure of a wellness course, including key topics, assessment methods and engagement strategies.
Identify actionable takeaways to help students build resilience and manage stress effectively.
Discuss examples of successful wellness programming in dental education programs.
