JCON 705PS Peer Support Mentor Training

Credits: 0.5
Our intimate involvement in patient care brings to the foreground the human experience in its many forms and extremes. As medical students and future providers, we bear witness to both incredible joy and devastating pain. Healthcare workers at all levels of training encounter patient deaths and poor outcomes, and must learn to cope with these events. These first experiences and building our own repertoire of wellness strategies are critical parts of the clinical phase. While personal wellness strategies are important, they are rarely enough to support an individual. The support of our peers and broader medical system is imperative to sustaining the important work we do. This course is based on the idea that we can build a stronger and more resilient community of healthcare workers when we bolster those around us. This four-week course acts as an introductory training program designed to educate a new generation of peer support leaders. Upon completion of the course, students will be prepared to join a pool of peer support students at OHSU. These leaders will be the pillars of the Peer Support Program, which provides space for other students who desire assistance in processing and debriefing after facing a poor patient outcome or death. Students will learn the fundamentals of discussing difficult situations with peers and the resources available to all students seeking support. Students will also learn the basics of psychiatric first aid and how to direct peers in crisis to higher levels of care as necessary.

Graded: Pass/No pass
May be taken only once for credit