22/05/2025
Better:Gen Prepare to Care. Mental Health training for Medical Students: Reflections on Our Pilot Year with the University of Dundee Medical School.
As we approach the end of our first year, we’re proud to share the highlights and impact of this year’s Prepare to Care programme.
What makes this programme unique is that it always starts from a blank page. Our training is carefully crafted and evolves around the bespoke needs of the individuals taking part, because in mental health, one size rarely fits all.
Throughout the year, we’ve explored how positive mental health is shaped by a complex interplay of biological, psychological, and sociological factors. We’ve examined how our predisposing traits influence our responses to challenges, and learned that while some risks are static and must be accepted, others are modifiable, and can be addressed with the right tools.
We have:
Discovered both the value and the limits of “screaming into the void.”
Explored DBT’s concept of Radical Acceptance.
Created (from scratch) and practiced using a personalised BioPsychoSocial Toolkit to help face future challenges.
Attempted to learn to juggle as both a mindful task and to recognise that some of our future medics probably shouldn't be surgeons.
Learned and applied the CBT STOP technique to challenge automatic negative responses.
Created an amazing collection of affirming statements. (and damn right if you have “Juicy Glutes” you should be proud of them).
Identified the “non-negotiables” that help us succeed in this demanding profession.
Discussed the importance of physical and psychological safety in clinical environments, and how this is closely tied to increased confidence and competence—two heavy lifters in supporting mental wellbeing.
Understood the power of a peer support network of like-minded, brilliant individuals with a shared purpose.
Acknowledged the unique pressures facing medical students and taken steps to accept and, where possible, overcome them.
Recognised that it’s more than okay to feel proud of your accomplishments and to celebrate how amazing you truly are.
We’ve never claimed to make anyone a mental health expert in just a few sessions, nor do we try. Anybody that claims they can deserves, at best, a Paddington Hard Stare.
And for the students.
This is an ongoing journey, and we’re honoured to have been involved as you discover a path that works best for you. Thank you for your openness, your engagement, and your willingness to show up. You are amazing ambassadors for both the university and as future leaders in healthcare, and you deserve every success.
With love.
Andrew and Lynn.
