key: cord-0850667-ilimt1tf
authors: Rastegar Kazerooni, AmirAli; Amini, Mitra; Tabari, Parinaz; Moosavi, Mahsa
title: Peer mentoring for medical students during COVID‐19 pandemic via a social media platform
date: 2020-04-30
journal: Med Educ
DOI: 10.1111/medu.14206
sha: 9480e2b9e0c2e343a43cec1db3515545ca25cde6
doc_id: 850667
cord_uid: ilimt1tf

In many contexts, medical students collaborate with health care workers to deliver patient management and care in emergencies like the COVID‐19 pandemic. In others, medical students are experiencing an unintended pause in their education due to global university closure over COVID‐19 concerns. In either situation, students find themselves coping with mental and emotional issues, including stress, anxiety, and fear, that may require significant psychological and physical effort. Therefore, it is important that medical schools not only care about students' mental health but also implement strategies to support their understanding of crisis management, self‐mental care, and other principal measures in order to strengthen their coping skills and mental preparedness.

In many contexts, medical students collaborate with health care workers to deliver patient management and care in emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic. In others, medical students are experiencing an unintended pause in their education due to global university closure over COVID-19

This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved concerns. In either situation, students find themselves coping with mental and emotional issues, including stress, anxiety, and fear, that may require significant psychological and physical effort. Therefore, it is important that medical schools not only care about students' mental health but also implement strategies to support their understanding of crisis management, self-mental care, and other principal measures in order to strengthen their coping skills and mental preparedness.

In collaboration with students of Shiraz medical school, a social media platform was created that 

A valid and reliable questionnaire, based on our previous study, 1 was used to measure the effect of this activity. 71% of junior medical students believed the platform had a significant impact on helping them adjust faster to these emergency conditions. The only barriers mentioned by the students was that some were not sure how to apply the information gained to their personal situation as the continued to desire real and practical face-to-face consultation. Nonetheless, students generally reported this activity was a unique experience that was beneficial for their professional growth.

Care and support have a critical role in promoting mental health in medical students. Building a peer mentoring group can help. With the experience achieved through working with these students in this

This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved crisis, senior medical students could provide timely and appropriate psychological advice for others.

The experience, therefore, appeared to be as important for their professional growth as it was for the mental relief of more junior students. Keeping in mind the concept of "Teaching is Learning Twice," we have learned that by taking on peer mentoring leadership responsibility, senior students can further the competencies they need to be competent physicians.

Mentoring medical students by their Peers, Three Years' experience at Shiraz Medical School