Helping those who help others: Building an internal medicine resident wellness program

Abstract

This article was migrated. The article was not marked as recommended. Purpose: Medical residency can be difficult due to challenges such as sleep deprivation, social isolation, high-stress work, and having little control over daily events. Thus, residents often experience high levels of burnout, which is associated with depression, suicidal ideation, and medical errors. Focusing on enhancing wellness and decreasing burnout through implementing a wellness program may help mitigate this problem. The purpose of this article is to provide an outline of a burgeoning wellness program and related interventions carried out by internal medicine residencies. Methods: The authors describe the creation and components of an internal medicine resident wellness program, which includes a retreat, lecture series, mentorship, and evaluation through resident feedback. Results: Feedback suggest that the wellness program has been well received. Respondents noted the benefits of learning strategies to decrease burnout and enhance wellness and have felt validated when hearing about colleagues' burnout and wellness experiences. Wellbeing is now a more commonly initiated topic of discussion. Continual evaluation will be used with the intent of creating an evidence based resident wellness program. Conclusions: Although it requires time, effort, dedication, and organizational support, building a resident wellness program is feasible and a worthwhile endeavor.