RESIDENT WELLNESS
Healthy and happy residents make the best learners
Residency can be a stressful time in the journey to a high-pressured medical career. Residents are learning lots of new facts but also honing clinical skills and developing new knowledge through experiential processes. Its a lot to do and can at times be a bit overwhelming, especially when it is coupled with family and personal life issues. If residents are to be successful, their program needs to understand this and ensure that their wellness takes a place of principal importance as they are trained. Our program is keenly aware of the emotional, personal and educational needs of our residents. Our goal is to help promote individual wellness in each of our residents. We have designed a multi-tiered approach for the enhancement of this goal. We strive to ensure wellness by:
Strict adherence to duty hours
Our chief residents provide monthly wellness seminars focused on the introduction of a variety of techniques to help cope with stress and maintain job satisfaction
Reasonable on-call schedules
Working hard to recruit well-rounded students with great interpersonal skills and caring attitudes
Ensuring daily protected opportunities for didactic learning
Regular one on one meetings with program leadership to identify issues early
Continuous availability of program leadership to assist at any time
Assignment of faculty mentors who are all educated to identify stressors and assist residents as needed
Regular group engagement with department leadership to discuss stressors and any other important issues
Limited restrictions on the use of time away
Subsidized fitness programs
Financial support for activities to promote camaraderie and resident well-being
Annual resident retreats
Inclusion of residents in decisions that affect the residency program as well as Department of Pediatrics
Additional time for personal medical care issues during regular work hours
Flexible schedules to permit continued education during periods of unique personal need
Assistance in finding medical, psychiatric, dental and other providers as issues arise