Sustained Impact of an Emotional Intelligence and Resilience Curriculum for Medical Students.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of an educational curriculum focused on Emotional Intelligence (EI) and Resilience among second-year medical students, with emphasis on evaluating the retention of EI skills one year following the curricular intervention.

Methods: Second-year medical students voluntarily participated in an EI-Resilience elective with a curriculum consisting of six sessions aimed at teaching EI and resilience skills. Participants underwent assessment before, immediately after, and one year following the intervention, utilizing the Bar-On Emotional Quotient Inventory 2.0 (EQ-i 2.0). Survey responses were averaged and compared between varying time points.

Results: Thirty students completed the EQ-i 2.0 assessments at three time points: prior to, immediately after, and one-year following the educational intervention. A comparison of mean EI scores pre- and immediate post-intervention showed a significant increase in most components of EI. No significant changes were detected between the immediate post-test and 1-year post-test on any EI components, except for a noteworthy increase in the mean Interpersonal Relationship score. Students demonstrated an average increase in their Interpersonal Relationship skills of 5.7 points (95% CI: 3.0, 8.4, p <0.001) at the one-year post-test compared to the post-test immediately following the intervention. Students reported continued satisfaction and usefulness one-year post-intervention as demonstrated by an internally developed survey. In the one-year post-intervention survey, most students used what they had learned in the elective during their third year (91%, 32/35) and all students found the elective to be applicable during their third year. In free-text responses, students reported improved coping and reflection skills in the third year of medical school following the intervention.

Conclusion: An EI-Resilience curriculum offered as an elective to second-year students continued to be well-received one year following the educational intervention. Data suggests that enhanced EI and resilience skills were sustained over a one-year period following the educational intervention.