Dear Editor,
We read with great interest the article by Noble et al (2019) regarding mindfulness training for nursing and medical students. As final year medical students at Imperial College London, we have reflected on our own experiences during our studies and how we would have benefited from a similar practice.
During our undergraduate studies there has been no such teaching. Rigorous examinations, numerous targets and often witnessing emotionally challenging situations during our clinical placements have left a great demand for this practice. Thus, we believe that the benefits of mindfulness discussed in Noble et al's article, including improved concentration and stress management, would greatly assist students both in their academia and their own mental health.
Allowing students to develop these skills over time by having regular sessions rather than a one-off course may be advantageous. As future members of the multidisciplinary team, we think interdisciplinary sessions could be an effective way to deliver this.
Sessions could be designed to allow students to practise mindfulness in a way that they will find relevant to their studies, and thus improve student engagement with the teaching. Wellbery (2006) found that the use of poetry in medical education was a powerful tool in increasing mindfulness as well as highlighting the emotional burden of patients. The simple act of reading poetry can allow the reader to become absorbed in the words, rhymes, images and metres of the poem and in this way become more mindful and present in the moment at hand (Connelly, 1999). Thus, students will be able to gain the benefits of mindfulness while also opening discussions about important topics such as empathy and compassion, which are often dismissed in formal teaching.
The benefits of mindfulness are well documented and it is clear that better focus, stress-management and reducing emotional exhaustion would lead to improved wellbeing during undergraduate studies where students are subject to a great deal of stress. Further to this, when working, they will be better equipped to deal with the intense pressure of clinical practice (Hülsheger et al, 2013), thus illustrating the long-term benefits and the need for this teaching to be incorporated into the undergraduate curriculum.