Vital Coach: Resiliency program for first-year medical students
Vital Coach: A Study of Resiliency in Medical Students Using Wearable Technology and Personalized Wellness Coaching
This project will try the Arena Strive digital performance coach with wearable biometric feedback to help first-year Wake Forest medical students build resilience and reduce burnout during academic stress.
Quick facts
| Phase | Not applicable |
|---|---|
| Study type | Interventional |
| Enrollment | 49 (estimated) |
| Ages | 18 Years to 60 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | Wake Forest University Health Sciences Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Winston-Salem, North Carolina) |
| Trial ID | NCT07342673 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this trial studies
This interventional project tests Arena Strive, a digital performance coaching platform that combines a virtual human coach, a focused skills curriculum, and wearable-derived biometric feedback. First-year Wake Forest School of Medicine students will use the smartphone app and wearables around scheduled academic stressors over an 8-week program to learn resilience and stress-recovery skills. Continuous biometric measures such as heart rate and heart rate variability will provide individualized feedback and help time coaching interventions. Outcomes include changes in burnout, professional fulfillment, and physiologic stress markers compared to baseline.
Who should consider this trial
Good fit: Ideal participants are active first-year Wake Forest School of Medicine students who own an Android or iOS smartphone, are willing to download the Arena Strive app, and do not have disqualifying cardiac conditions or pregnancy.
Not a fit: Students who are under 18 or over 60, currently pregnant, have cardiac conditions that affect heart rate metrics, or who cannot or will not use a smartphone or wearable are unlikely to benefit from this intervention.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the program could lower burnout, improve resilience and professional fulfillment, and give schools objective data to deliver timely support.
How similar studies have performed: Similar Arena Strive implementations produced significant reductions in burnout and improved professional fulfillment in a large health system during an 8-week program, so the approach has supporting real-world evidence.
Eligibility criteria
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * active first year Wake Forest School of Medicine medical students * have an Android or iOS smart phone * are willing to download the Arena Strive application Exclusion Criteria: * under the age of 18; or over the age of 60 * pregnant at enrollment or during course of study * any self-reported cardiac conditions that may impact heart rate and heart rate variability
Where this trial is running
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
- Wake Forest University Health Sciences — Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States (Recruiting)
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Dermot Phelan, MD, PhD — Wake Forest University Health Sciences
- Study coordinator: Dermot Phelan, MD, PhD
- Email: Dermot.Phelan@Advocatehealth.org
- Phone: 704 373 0212
How to participate
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
- Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.