Designing for Resilient Learners in Health Education Environments

Health professions are facing shortages due to burnout and stress – a problem so extensive that the U.S. Surgeon General has identified it as one of their seven top priorities. In response to this, academic institutions have already begun to adapt curricula and shift culture to support stress management, self-care and the overall well-being of learners and faculty alike. Relatively little emphasis has been placed on the physical environment, despite our long-standing knowledge that the environments that we spend time in have a significant impact on our well-being.

Drawing on research from diverse fields such as environmental psychology and neuroarchitecture, we have successfully integrated design strategies that emphasize well-being and resilience for learners. Resilience is a complex topic with various meanings. However, most definitions converge on key elements: stability, the ability to handle adversity and the idea that resilience can be learned. Many theories view resilience as a framework shaped by numerous factors, including the environment, which contribute to an individual's ability to handle adversity.

In our projects, we frequently explore methods for fostering resilience. These range from broad, strategic initiatives related to space planning and organization to specific, actionable recommendations for finishes and lighting. Below are four design tactics to help build resilience at every level.

1. Make Space for Experiential and Active Learning Environments

The design of learning environments has a direct influence on the ability to teach and learn resilience. In the realm of health education, educators have advocated for the benefits of experiential and active learning environments – from team-based learning classrooms to simulated environments. This new generation of learning environments has proven to support the education of more resilient learners by reinforcing the development of soft skills like communication and team dynamics.

2. Dedicate On-Campus Space for Self-Care and Well-Being

There is a growing emphasis on self-care and well-being – critical skills that contribute to an individual's overall resilience. Dedicated, on-campus space that supports these activities have increasingly become a focus on our projects. The new East Carolina University Brody School of Medicine includes a network of spaces that support physical and cognitive well-being spanning across the entire facility. This includes spaces for respite - like enclosed meditation rooms and healing gardens, to stimulating social ‘play’ spaces for a break from the rigors of medical education.

3. Create Spaces That Foster Community

Our human ability to recover from adversity is strongly influenced by the relationships we cultivate within our communities. As we consider resilience at a campus scale, it’s important to be intentional about designing spaces that enhance cross-campus connectivity, promote healthy outdoor environments and welcome in the campus community to enrich our ability to connect with one another. This idea of building community increases individual resilience, creates opportunities for inter-professional partnerships and opportunities to connect with and serve local communities.

4. Improve Wellness Through Intentional Design

The physical qualities of the environments that we spend time in affect us physically, mentally, and emotionally, even in subtle ways. For example, something as simple as paint color can affect the way we feel in space, with warm hues providing stimulation, and cool hues promoting relaxation - shown to decrease blood pressure, pulse, and breathing rate. These effects extend far beyond color. Elements like lighting, thermal quality, acoustics, and even texture can impact the way we feel. At Yale University, the BrainWorks Imaging facility uses lighting to encourage serenity in neuroimaging environments, even in spaces that would not typically expected to be serene. These considerations are especially important in environments for health education, not only because of the strong link between wellness and resilience, but also because of its potential to positively impact learning outcomes.