LIFE Communities at Loma Linda University School of Medicine was created in 2019 to provide medical students with a community of students and a faculty mentor for support and connection as they go through journey to becoming a physician.
First-year medical students are assigned to a small LIFE community group of 10 students, where they stay and learn together throughout their four years of medical school. Each of these groups is led by a clinical faculty member who serves as a mentor and meets with the students frequently. Learn about LIFE Communities gathering space.
Vision
L - Learning - Learn skills better developed in relationship within a community including reflection, resilience, coping, professionalism, integrity and learning strategies.
I - Integration of Identity - Build professional identity that integrates spirituality, wholeness, and your contextual self in order to grow toward greater congruence as a physician.
F - Formation - Establish life-giving practices of reflection and introspection for a sustainable and meaningful career.
E - Experience - Build Community among students through meaningful academic, social and spiritual experiences.
Community- Create Faculty and Student Connection that exposes medical students early to practicing clinicians for mentorship and guidance. Equip students for Service Learning by understanding social determinants of health and our unconscious bias.
LIFE Communities Activities
- Social activities, study together, service learning together, connection with faculty
- Friendly competition between groups throughout the year
- Meet upperclassmen that are also in your L.I.F.E community to gain insight on what is coming.
LIFE Community Mentors will meet one on one with each student in their community twice per year or more as needed for mentoring. Topics for mentoring may include challenges with academic performance, personal relationships, professional balance, research, career planning and spiritual direction. Meet the mentors.
Spiritual Formation
Students have chosen Loma Linda University because they appreciate the mission to continue the teaching and healing ministry of Jesus. Students will understand the foundational (theological), ethical,(moral) and relational (interpersonal) components of Christ-centered formation.
Community Engagement
A core mission of Loma Linda University is to serve the community. To effectively make change we must understand the social determinants of health, our own biases and how we must view the community we will serve. This curriculum will focus on social justice and promoting equity.
Personal Resilience Skills
Learn how to cope with stress, anxiety, keeping up with the load of work required as a medical student and physician through sessions focused on reflection, compassion, self-awareness, and developing your professional identity.
Integrity and Professionalism
Learn the definition of professionalism and how one develops their professional identity. Students will discuss real cases of unprofessional behavior to help illustrate the principles of professionalism. Upperclassmen will inspire by sharing how professional behavior in the first two years translates into professional behavior with patients, part of our calling as physicians.
Healthy Habits
A core value of LLU is to promote a healthy lifestyle. Students will learn the six pillars of lifestyle medicine and their significance to personal health. They will learn to apply health behavior change principle to personal wellness goals.
Life Long Learning
Learn effective strategies to master the large amount of material that needs to be learned in the first two years of medical school. Find the strategy that works best for you and learn evidence-based strategies to succeed. We will also focus on time management and learning from your upperclassmen methods that worked and things they tried that did not work.