(281) Cura Personalis: Care of the Whole Person Through Student Wellness Initiatives

Objective : To strengthen the success of Regis University School of Pharmacy (RUSOP) students through wellness initiatives that incorporate mental, physical, social, and spiritual aspects.

Methods: After the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, student wellness was identified as a needed area of focus at RUSOP, and the Student Affairs Committee (SAC) received a new charge of promoting student wellness and wellbeing. The SAC continues to collaborate with the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity Task Force (DEITF), student organizations, and faculty to develop and implement wellness initiatives.

Results: Since the SAC began to address its charge in 2020, RUSOP has expanded its wellness initiatives, which can be categorized into 4 domains. Mental wellness initiatives focused on alleviating stress include assignment of a faculty advisor prior to the start of the P1 year, a Rho Chi-P1 matched mentoring program, remediation strategies, pharmacy-specific tutoring, and free counseling services. Physical wellness initiatives include free gym access, a fitness challenge, outdoor walks, intramural sports, and access to faculty-created webinars on topics related to physical and mental health. Social wellness initiatives include a book club, student organization-sponsored social activities, and a SAC/DEITF-sponsored diversity potluck lunch. Spiritual-based wellness has been developed through community-based service learning and writing of an annual reflection, which is a required part of a student’s portfolio to demonstrate achievement of RUSOP’s principled outcomes.

Conclusions: As a Jesuit institution, one of our key values is cura personalis, which is having care for the whole person, including mind, body, and spirit. RUSOP is committed to continuing and expanding student wellness initiatives that focus on the whole person to strengthen student success.