Wellness
We recognize that creating true well-being extends beyond medical school into your lives and homes. The combination of high expectations, large volume of material, and the understanding that patients’ lives will soon be resting in your hands can be quite stressful. Rush provides several resources available to students, free of charge, to help you maintain wellness in all aspects of your life.
MSA Programming
- Curricular Programming: Jay Behel, PhD; Laurel Cherian, MD, MS; and our advisers work closely with the curricular team to deliver structures and programming focused on student well-being, self-compassion and mutual support.
- Doc Talks: Hosted several times per year, Doc Talks provide opportunities for RUSH physicians and alumni to share stories with students about their successes and struggles in medicine.
- Social Gatherings: MSA hosts student and faculty social hours every term. These informal gatherings provide informal opportunities for students to socialize, meet faculty and enjoy good food.
- Wellness Activities: Morning meditation and afternoon yoga are offered twice a month.
RUSH University Wellness Resources
- RUSH University Student Wellness Association (RU Well): Founded by medical students in 2018, this student-run organization is dedicated to supporting all RUSH students in their quest to lead truly healthy lives, in all aspects of the word healthy. Throughout the academic year, RU Well provides mindfulness and wellness programming focused on meditation, breathing exercises, wholesome nutrition, physical exercise, adequate sleep, compassion and more. Behel serves as the advisEr for RU Well.
- RUSH Center for Clinical Wellness: The RUSH Center for Clinical Wellness was established to further cultivate our culture of wellness and provided expanded mental health support services for all students, faculty and staff at RUSH. As a student, you are encouraged to utilize the center and access professional counseling services at no additional charge. In addition, the center offers wellness coaching and mini wellness retreats to help you identify and achieve your wellness goals.
- RUSH Wellness Assistance Program: This program provides comprehensive wellness resources that are available to the entire RUSH community and their families. All services used through the Wellness Assistance Program are free and confidential.
Restorative Justice at RUSH
Rooted in indigenous traditions, restorative justice (RJ) is a theory that emphasizes building community and repairing harm through cooperative processes that include all stakeholders. Restorative practices were first introduced at RMC in 2014, and this work has led to the foundation of community-building circles and team-building circles as core parts of the preclerkship and clerkship experience for our students. Additionally, RJ is now a routine option for resolving conflict and addressing learning environment issues at RMC.
Our RJ work has expanded into four of our residency programs and has been integrated into Rush University leadership programs. RMC was one of the schools chosen for the AAMC’s Restorative Justice in Academic Medicine (RJAM) pilot. Dr. Behel is now on the RJAM training team and is co-lead for Rx for RJ at the University of San Diego’s Center for Restorative Justice.
For more information or to get involved, explore the RUSH University Restorative Justice Initiative.
Contact:
Jay Behel, PhD
Associate Dean, Medical Student Affairs