Student Presenter(s): Katherine Keever, Risa Kiernan
Faculty Mentor: Leslie Goldstein
Department: Clinical Specialties
School/College: College of Osteopathic Medicine, Long Island

Background: Emotional intelligence (EI) refers to one's ability to be aware of and manage emotions in themselves and others. High rates of stress and decreased levels of physical and emotional health have been found in medical students. Higher EI levels have been linked to increased happiness and improved ability to cope with stress. Previous attempts to incorporate EI training into medical education had positive results. We propose that higher EI in medical students is associated with decreased stress and thus improved boards licensing exam scores.

Methods: A systematic search was run on MEDLINE for articles published in the last 10 years.

Results: Students with higher EI were associated with an increase in happiness and psychological health. Those with higher stress levels were less happy with self-reported EI being a negative predictor for stress. The studies demonstrated that higher EI is associated with improved academic performance in medical school. Studies have documented positive correlations between medical teams' EI and the quality of their interactions. Clerkships that incorporated workplace EI training found medical students were more adaptable and proactive on their rotations. Conclusion: EI plays a role in predicting emotional and psychological health along with academic performance in medical students. Our results indicate that EI training incorporation into medical education could be beneficial in improving academic performance, especially on licensing exams.