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First-Year Medical Student Orientation

Introduction

Orientation activities for first-year medical students take place over several days, culminating in the Joseph M. Healey Convocation Ceremony, named in honor of Professor Healey, the driving force behind the introduction of convocation in 1985. Convocation was created to be a ‘solemn and celebratory’ ceremony, mirroring graduation in format and significance. Convocation emphasizes the themes of: service to others, professionalism, altruism, humanism, and balance.

A number of activities have been designed to introduce students and their families to medical school realities and to formally induct new students into the profession of medicine. Major activities include:

“Sharing Our Identities” – Schools of Medicine and Dental Medicine

Students are brought together to meet their peers and to hear an overview of the class demographics. This is a joint session where the medical and dental students share a common basic science curriculum for the first two years. Separate orientation activities continue thereafter.

Educational Support/Library Internet-based Health Information Resources

The Computer Education Center staff provide students with a comprehensive review of computer, laboratory and library resources. Students are given passwords and introduced to the UConn Blackboard web site that serves as the main source of curricular materials and student announcements. Students are issued preliminary laboratory supplies and introduced to the Issue Room staff, who coordinate distribution of materials. Students are given a tour of the library and provided with information to successfully access library texts and online materials. This initial session is followed-up by a  three-hour library orientation scheduled during the first three weeks of medical school.

Welcome and Overview for Families

The associate dean of students and the assistant dean of admissions meet with families and friends of the first-year class to present an overview of the school’s history, philosophy, and curriculum, pass/fail system, transitioning to the volume and pace of medical school, student advising and counseling, and a detailed description of UConn’s unique basic science and clinical curriculum. The deans lead a discussion about ways in which families can actively contribute to student success. The overview concludes with a question and answer session.

White Coat Ceremony and Recitation of the Hippocratic Oath

The White Coat Ceremony is a symbolic induction into the profession of medicine. UConn has conducted a White Coat ceremony each year since 1995 as part of a national medical school initiative. The associate dean of students begins by formally introducing students to their peers who present brief biographical sketches that include college and hometown information, hobbies, interests and quotes. Second-year students welcome their new colleagues into the profession of medicine and help them put on their first white coat.

The entire class then gathers in the front of the auditorium to be recognized. All physicians and dentists in the audience are asked to rise, and the medical dean leads the new class in a recitation of the Hippocratic Oath. Traditionally recited at graduation ceremonies, the recitation at orientation reminds students of the solemn responsibility they have assumed in beginning medical school. Reciting the Oath of Hippocrates reinforces to students that they are expected to uphold the highest ideals of the profession – compassion, respect, equanimity, confidentiality, and service – from day one of medical school through retirement.

The White Coat Ceremony is supported by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation, which supports efforts to foster humanism in medicine.

Social Events

Orientation activities take place from Friday morning until school officially begins the next Tuesday. Social activities include, a barbecue for families and welcome parties and picnics for students sponsored by Medical/Dental Student Government. The second-year students organize an annual scavenger hunt called “The Race,” designed to familiarize students with the Greater Hartford area.

Compliance Programs

Students participate in a number of federal and state mandated programs, including blood-born pathogen training, individualized immunization review and TB skin testing, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) training, and diversity and sexual harassment seminars. These are critically important sessions designed to protect students and patients, further reinforcing the reality that UConn students begin acting as health professionals immediately.

Student Resources

Students attend sessions devoted to the myriad of services available to them and essential to their medical school experience. They receive general information on CHIPS (Confidential Help for Impaired Professional Students), the Financial Aid program, Public Safety, the Student Health Plan and Health Career Opportunities Programs.

Mentoring and Advising

There are sessions held early in the first semester that introduce students to the varied mentoring and career counseling services available to them. In their first week, students are assigned to academic mentor groups and their "big brother" or "big sister." The Office of Medical Student Affairs provides an initial point of contact for all questions and can triage students to appropriate services as needed.

Student Continuity Practice and Orientation to the Community

As part of the Clinical Medicine Course, a seminar is given to introduce students to the resources and demographic characteristics of the state. The Student Continuity Practice (SCP) is a required course at the University of Connecticut. Students are assigned to a primary care office for one half-day per week beginning in October of the first-year and continuing until the end of the third-year where they practice their clinical skills with patients. Students meet individually with the SCP course director during orientation to help match their preferences with an appropriate clinical site. There is also a large group session where the goals, objectives and expectations of the course are discussed.

Student Run Activities Fair

The second year class organizes and conducts an activities fair for the new class during orientation. The fair gathers together the student leaders of the academic, volunteer and social interest groups that are open to first year students. The student leaders provide literature and answer questions about the activities. First-year students can then sign-up for student-run voluntary clinics and join the varied intramural sports and social clubs.

Stress Management/Mental Health

Recognizing that students must maintain their mental health in order to be successful, the last official component of the orientation week is a session devoted to anticipating the stresses inherent to pursuing a career in medicine. A healthy diet, sufficient sleep, regular exercise and recreation are reinforced as essential components for students to include along with study time, in order to maintain equilibrium and innate humanistic qualities. Students are provided with a number of behavioral techniques, such as deep breathing exercises and guided imagery, as tools to be proactive in maintaining emotional well-being and preventing unhealthy responses to stress. For those who need additional professional guidance, the methods of accessing the mental health professionals available to students are discussed.