The Stress Management Workshop for Medical Students : Realizing Psychiatry's Potential.

Stress management workshops have been used in psychiatric training programs, both the medical student and resident levels. However, their use has been sparingly described. A workshop of this nature was adapted for use with medical students at the University of Illinois and presented as an elective in 1994 and 1995. Seventeen percent of the students in each class of 180 chose this elective. Questionnaire results indicated that the course was well received and that the students selecting the course were predominantly attracted to the "non procedural" specialties. Almost half the students indicated that the course had made them consider a career in psychiatry and that their attitude toward psychiatry had become more positive. Every student taking the course stated that it should be repeated and was helpful in their own personal stress management. The stress management workshop may be a useful and needed adjunct to medical school training.