The experience of first-year hematology and oncology fellows after implementing a wellness chief fellow at an academic cancer center.

Abstract

11017 Background: Hematology & Oncology trainees are high risk for burnout. Risk factors include early stage in career, female gender and isolation. From previous assessment, the program discovered that the feeling of isolation was a problem experienced by our trainees. Our first-year fellows are challenged with multiple acclimations and the intense demands of inpatient service. As a result, we developed the leadership position of Wellness Chief Fellow to address the specific needs of this population during academic year 2019. Methods: The Wellness Chief (WC) is a third-year Hematology and Oncology Fellow with good communication skills and knowledge of resources at the academic cancer center. The WC gave a Wellness lecture during first-year orientation to emphasize the prioritization of personal wellbeing throughout fellowship. The WC developed a list of wellness resources within the hospital system and local community and shared these with the fellows. The WC also provided quarterly one-on-one confidential mentoring to first year fellows. These meetings were informal and semi-structured. Topics included adjusting to the academic center and their new fellowship role, moving to a new city, current support system, clinical and research mentorship, life challenges and self-care. Mid-year, the first-year fellows were surveyed regarding their experience. Results: Eight fellows participated in one-on-one mentoring and 5 completed a mid-year evaluation. 4/5 fellows were new to the city. All trainees felt that mentoring helped them adjust to fellowship. 4/5 stated that they found a clinical mentor and 3/5 have a research mentor and started a research project. 4/5 acknowledged that they have a friend in the fellowship program and 5/5 stated that they do have someone to go to if they were experiencing a challenging life event. All fellows reported gaining something valuable after each mentoring session. 3/5 subjectively experienced burnout within 6 months of the fellowship program. One person stated they experienced burnout once per week and 2 reported monthly burnout. Conclusions: A Wellness Chief Fellow can buffer the effects of isolation within the first-year fellowship experience by providing mentoring and resources during a challenging acclimation period.