The medical school is expanding its health and wellness offerings this fall to help students endure four taxing years of academics and hospital rotations.

The School of Medicine and Health Sciences added workout gear like hula hoops and dumbbells to its library and began offering Zumba, yoga and cooking classes to de-stress students faced with shrinking residency opportunities nationwide.

The wellness initiative precludes the schools community health committee, which will meet for the first time this week. The committee will look for pathways to incorporate physical, mental and spiritual health into the medical school's curriculum, including potential courses that could be added in time for the schools broader curriculum overhaul next year.

But yanking students away from studying slides and lab notes to take time for themselves is a challenge, Christina Puchalski, director of the GW Institute for Spirituality and Health, said.

About 50 students so far have participated in classes or sessions in exercise or health offered by the Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library, the library reported.

If youre a student and you have to pass a certain number of exams, that will take priority over taking care of yourself. Unless you can see that taking care of yourself will help you overall, Puchalski, who sits on the committee, said.

Alexandra Gomes, associate director of the library, said the library has for years seen pressure mounting for students, particularly around exams.

Students set up camp in the library as we get closer to the end of the semester and the exams, and you can see the pressure build up in the students, Gomes said.

The administration is also spending more on health and wellness. Linda Lang, an instructor, has taught yoga classes for two years and said this is the first year she is a paid staff member.

Last year was the first time the yoga course was offered as a 1.5-credit elective that included nearly three dozen students.

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Medical school expands stress relief programs