title: The impact of mind-body medicine facilitation on affirming and enhancing professional identity in health care professions faculty.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Georgetown University School of Medicine (GUSOM) offers medical students a course in mind-body medicine (MBM) that introduces them to tools that reduce stress and foster self-awareness. Previous studies reported decreases in students' perceived stress and increases in mindfulness-changes that were associated with increased empathic concern and other elements of professional identity formation. However, no reports have described the impact of an MBM course on the facilitators themselves.
  
  
  METHODS
  To explore whether MBM facilitation is associated with changes in professional identity, self-awareness, and/or perceived stress, 62 facilitators, trained by the GUSOM MBM program, were invited to complete two validated surveys: the Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory (FMI) and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Forty-two participants also completed a six-item open-ended questionnaire addressing their experience in the context of their professional identity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Facilitators' scores were significantly lower on PSS and higher on FMI compared with normative controls (P < .05), and the two parameters were inversely correlated (-0.46, P < .01). Qualitative analysis revealed three main themes: (1) aspects of professional identity (with subthemes of communication; connections and community; empathy and active listening; and self-confidence); (2) self-care; and (3) mindful awareness.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Preliminary findings will be extended with larger studies that examine longitudinal quantitative assessment of communication, connection, and self-confidence outcomes in MBM facilitators, and the impact of MBM facilitation on burnout and resilience.
authors.affiliation: N. Talisman is research assistant, Department of Psychiatry, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC N. Harazduk is assistant professor and director, Mind-Body Medicine Program, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC C. Rush is project director, Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC K. Graves is associate professor, Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC A. Haramati is professor of biochemistry and molecular and cellular biology and director, Center for Innovation and Leadership in Education, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC.
authors.forename: Nicholas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Talisman
authors.forename: Nancy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Harazduk
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rush
authors.forename: Kristi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Graves
authors.forename: Aviad
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Haramati
mesh_terms: D000288:Administrative Personnel; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004645:Empathy; D005180:Faculty, Medical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D026441:Mind-Body Therapies / Q000193:education*; D064866:Mindfulness / Q000193:education*; D010819:Physician's Role; D010865:Pilot Projects; D024382:Professional Role; D012648:Self Care; D012649:Self Concept; D012933:Social Identification; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires