For Residents

Wellness for the Dermatology Resident

Cutis. 2020 July;106(01):E18-E20 | doi:10.12788/cutis.0043

References

Croley JAA. #Dermlife and the burned-out resident. Cutis. 2019;104:E32-E33.
Dyrbye LN, Burke SE, Hardeman RR, et al. Association of clinical specialty with symptoms of burnout and career choice regret among US resident physicians. JAMA. 2018;320:1114-1130.
Shoimer I, Patten S, Mydlarski PR. Burnout in dermatology residents: a Canadian perspective [published online November 1, 2017]. Br J Dermatol. 2018;178:270-271.
Grills CN, Aird EG, Rowe D. Breathe, baby, breathe: clearing the way for the emotional emancipation of black people. Cultural Studies & Critical Methodologies. 2016;16:333-343.
Imadojemu S, James WD. Increasing African American representation in dermatology. JAMA Dermatol. 2016;152:15-16.
Brotherton SE, Etzel SI. Graduate medical education, 2013-2014. JAMA. 2014;312:2427-2445.
Salles A, Liebert CA, Greco RS. Promoting balance in the lives of resident physicians: a call to action. JAMA Surg. 2015;150:607-608.
Fick L, Axon K, Potini Y, et al. Improving overall resident and faculty wellbeing through program-sponsored innovations. MedEdPublish. Published September 27, 2019. doi:10.15694/mep.2019.000184.1.
St. Vincent Internal Medicine Residency Wellness Bulletin. https://www.mededpublish.org/manuscriptfiles/2586/Supplementary%20File%203_Wellness%20Bulletin.pdf. Published April 2018. Accessed August 5, 2020.

Physical Well-being

Stanford BIL Program
One method of improving physical well-being included stocking healthy snacks for residents and providing incoming residents with a guide of physicians, dentists, and fitness venues to promote regular health care. We have adopted the same at UW with healthy snacks available in our resident workroom.

St. Vincent Internal Medicine Wellness
There are monthly fitness challenges for a variety of physical wellness activities such as sleep, mindfulness minutes, nutrition, and step challenges.⁸

UW Dermatology
In addition to healthy snacks in our workroom, we also have various discounted fitness classes available for employees, along with discounts on gym memberships, kayak rentals, and city bike-share programs.

Psychological Well-Being

Stanford BIL Program
They enlisted a clinical psychologist available for residents to talk to regularly about any issues they face and to help manage stress in their lives.⁷

St. Vincent Internal Medicine Wellness
Faculty and coordinators provide S.A.F.E.—secure, affirming, friendly, and empathetic—zones to provide confidential and judgment-free support for residents.⁸ They also host photography competitions; residents submit photographs of nature, and the winning photographs are printed and displayed throughout the work area.

UW Dermatology
We have made changes to beautify our resident workroom with photograph collages of residents and other assorted décor to make it a more work-friendly space.

Social Well-being

Common themes highlighted by all 3 programs include the importance of socializing outside of the workplace, team-building activities, and resident retreats. Social media accounts on Instagram at St. Vincent (@stvimresidency) and at UW (@uwderm) highlight resident accomplishments and promote interconnectedness when residents are not together in clinics or hospitals.

Final Thoughts

Resident wellness will continue to be an important topic for discussion in the future, especially given the uncertain times right now during our training. Focusing on the 4 areas of well-being can help to prevent burnout and improve resident wellness.