Many students have been personally affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. As we return to the wards, it is possible for anxiety and emotional stress to resurface. It’s important to remember that residents, attendings, faculty and staff may be going through the same thing and that you are not alone in this difficult time.
Don’t forget to practice self-care
The Center for Traumatic Stress Studies of the Uniformed Services University (www.cstsonline.org) recommends the following for healthcare workers:
- Meet your basic needs
- Take breaks
- Connect with colleagues
- Communicate constructively with colleagues
- Contact and connect with family
- Respect differences in how much others want to talk
- Stay updated with information about COVID-19, but limit your exposure to the media
- Do self-check-ins
- Honor your service
If you become overwhelmed on the wards
Find a quiet spot to recollect yourself
- Relief and Well-being Centers are located at:
- MS Hospital:
- 5 East 98th street SB - 18 (Open 4:30AM - 7:00PM; Facility dogs visits Tuesday and Thursdays 3-4pm)
- Klingenstein Clinical Center 9 waiting area between North and South
- MS Downtown:
- Well-being Center: Wellness Room 3 Linsky, Room 327
- MS Brooklyn:
- Serenity Space in patient visitation area
- MS Morningside
- Ambulatory Care Center, room 160, Door Code: 5055#
- MS Hospital:
Log on to your free Calm App (download app (iPhone app HERE, Android app HERE, web HERE) and sign in using your Sinai email) to try:
- Deep breathing exercises.
- Quick guided meditation or visualization
- Listening to calming music
Use Mount Sinai CALM On-the-Go services
- For a 2 minute guided meditation, call 212-241-2256 (or ext. 42256 from a Mount Sinai phone)
- For music relaxation, call 212-844-2256
- Option 1: 3 minute musical recording
- Option 2: instructor-led relaxation exercise with music
Other apps with free stress management tools:
- Breathe2Relax: diaphragmatic breathing exercises
- Sanvello for Stress and Anxiety: Exercises and tools based on CBT and mindfulness
- *These should not replace professional mental health services
Call the Vibrant Phone Line 212-241-2400 (or 1-866-339-7725) and speak to a trained counselor that can provide support.
- You do not need to be in a crisis to benefit from Vibrant Phone Line support. Counselors are trained to work with Mount Sinai students and are aware of their needs.
Additional Resources:
Should you need extra support, please take advantage of these resources available to students
Wellness Advisors and Faculty Advisors
- Sinai students are assigned to a wellness advisor and faculty advisor who can provide personal support, tips, and perspective.
- Don’t know who your wellness/faculty advisor is? You can find assignments on blackboard under student resources->advising cohorts. You can also email jocelyn.childs@mountsinai.org and she can provide info.
CIRCLES
- Support groups during your 3rd and 4th year of medical school that take place over dinner and in the homes of faculty members. Sessions are currently being held via Zoom.
Student Trainee Mental Health
- Free professional counseling (including individual and group psychotherapy) and mental health services for students and postdocs, regardless of insurance
- Call or email to make an appointment:
- STMH@mssm.edu
- 9 am-5 pm: 212-659-8805
- For after-hours assistance, call the 24/7 hotline dedicated specifically to students and postdocs This phone line is not just a crisis line but a support line as well.
- 212-241-2400 (or 1-866-339-7725)
- Referrals to providers in community that can provide mental health care as well
Calm App and Web
- All ISMMS students are eligible for a one year subscription to Calm app. This app offers guided meditations, sleep stories, masterclasses and more. To receive your free subscription, just download the app and sign up using your name and Sinai email.
- Offers self-care and stress-reduction techniques, including live yoga, meditation, music and art-making
Emails from IcahnBeWell, THAW and other student organizations
- Many student organizations are actively collecting and organizing wellness activities like yoga and meditation classes.
Covid Coach App
- Designed by the Department of Veterans affairs, and offers resources, emotional support, tips for self-care and stress management tools for anyone during the Covid-19 Pandemic.
- NYC Well is your connection to free, confidential mental health support. Speak to a counselor via phone, text, or chat and get access to mental health and substance use services, in more than 200 languages, 24/7/365.
- Text: Text "WELL" to 65173
- Call: 1-888-NYC-WELL
- Visit their website.