Student Senate, College of Pharmacy team to aid wellness

The UNMC Student Senate and UNMC College of Pharmacy give rave reviews to a pilot project the two collaborated on with Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) to introduce students to the array of counseling and wellness services available, while reducing the stigma of seeing a counselor or seeking such resources.

Under the project, all second-year pharmacy students were given pre-scheduled 15-minute "Quick Check" appointments with CAPS counselors. It was not mandatory — students could opt out of the appointments. And they were meet-and-greets, not counseling sessions. But the idea is there’s no stigma if everyone has an appointment. And a seed is planted if they or someone they know might need to talk to a CAPS counselor down the road.

"We wanted to lower the ‘activation energy’ for getting an appointment scheduled," said Hannah Tandon, vice president of the student senate, who helped spearhead the initiative.

"Students that approached me were very appreciative," of the pre-set appointments, "they feel much more comfortable moving forward with it," said Christopher Shaffer, PharmD, PhD, pharmacy’s associate dean for student affairs and justice, equity, diversity and inclusion.

The project will be brought back for the 2022-23 academic year at the college of pharmacy.

In a pre- and post-survey designed by the CAPS team, awareness of mental health services, willingness to make an appointment if needed, and willingness to refer a friend if needed improved after completing the Quick Check appointment.

Twenty-three of 65 second-year pharmacy students attended their appointments, and a handful did sign up for formal appointments following the initial check-in.

"I think that is really powerful," Tandon said. "Even if one student signed up for a formal intake appointment after their Quick Check, that would have been a success."

The UNMC College of Pharmacy was chosen for the pilot because it is a smaller college – and, also, because it knows that the second year is when pharmacy students could most use a check-in.

Dr. Shaffer already sets aside office hours for confidential "dad advice" for pharmacy students. Like many in UNMC leadership, he realizes, in terms of wellness, "the need is the greatest it has ever been."

Dr. Shaffer loved the idea that Quick Checks can remove hesitance for students to see CAPS when, "we change the narrative, and say, ‘Listen, this is for everybody, so you’re not standing alone on this and thereby removing a potential social stigma.’"

Organizers are exploring possibilities to implement the program elsewhere within UNMC.