{"id":2858,"date":"2020-06-10T14:18:05","date_gmt":"2020-06-10T18:18:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.nejm.org\/general-medicine\/?p=2858"},"modified":"2020-06-10T14:21:17","modified_gmt":"2020-06-10T18:21:17","slug":"resident-wellness-doesnt-need-to-be-expensive-or-elaborate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.nejm.org\/general-medicine\/index.php\/2020\/06\/resident-wellness-doesnt-need-to-be-expensive-or-elaborate\/","title":{"rendered":"Resident Wellness Doesn\u2019t Need to Be Expensive or Elaborate"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Dr.<\/a>

Dr. Orlovich is a Chief Resident of Wellness at Stanford University<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not like Stanford\u201d she said to me as we sat next to each other during our breakout session.\u00a0<\/span>My cheeks reddened. Somehow, suddenly, I felt as if I became the embodiment of my entire institution. And my furrowed brow revealed my surprise.<\/span><\/p>\n

Her tone softened. \u201cWhat I mean is, resident wellness is easier when the program has money. Your program has money. We, though, don\u2019t have the funds for it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I looked toward the corner of the room as I thought about this statement. It was interesting. So I decided to examine this a little bit more thoroughly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Does resident wellness require a large financial commitment?<\/span><\/em><\/h2>\n
\"essential<\/a>

Photo by Anna Shvets from Pexels<\/p><\/div>\n

A Study<\/b><\/h2>\n

A large academic general surgery program created a program that delivered a care package to residents, at work or at home (J Surg Edu 2020; 77:13<\/a>). This package included essential medications, vitamins, nutrition, and hydration. Residents themselves could request a package or colleagues could send one to them.<\/span><\/p>\n

All (100%) of the residents felt that this package addressed an unmet need in residency and also felt that the supplies helped them recover faster. The majority of packages, 83%, were requested by colleagues, rather than self-requested. The recipients\u2019 narrative comments focused in on feeling valued and supported, and having a feeling of belongingness.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And here is the most important part – each package cost $7.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The Take-Home Points<\/b><\/h2>\n
\"package<\/a>

Photo by Polina Tankilevitch from Pexels<\/p><\/div>\n

First, this study suggests that interventions for resident wellness need not be expensive or elaborate. It is time we reevaluated the kneejerk association of wellness with fancy retreats and expensive counseling sessions. A phone call, a text message, a handwritten note, or even a heartfelt verbal acknowledgment of hard work goes a long way.<\/span><\/p>\n

Second, this study reiterates what is already well-known and established in the literature \u2014 residents won\u2019t ask for help. It is time we design interventions that <\/span>go to<\/span><\/i> the residents. Or, allow co-residents and family members to take an active role on behalf of the resident. Most residents I\u2019ve been around <\/span>want<\/span><\/i> to work hard. They don\u2019t ask to be excused \u2014 they ask to be supported.<\/span><\/p>\n

Third, the intervention is targeted. It provides what is needed\u00a0and<\/em> at the right time. No more \u2018one-size-fits-all\u2019\u00a0approaches that <\/span>residents themselves didn\u2019t vote on or ask for. <\/span><\/i>On the surface, the care packages might seem reductionist and simplistic. The authors themselves acknowledge that burnout is multifaceted and this study only addressed <\/span>one<\/span><\/i> aspect of burnout. But the point here is that what the care package communicates<\/em> is incredibly powerful: <\/span><\/p>\n

Residency is hard and the system is complex but you are valued. We care about you in a meaningful way that is useful to you. We want to support you in your journey to be a better physician.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Conclusion<\/b><\/h2>\n

So to be clear, resident wellness doesn\u2019t necessarily require a large financial investment<\/span>. <\/span>It can be a simple, targeted, low-cost intervention that <\/span>goes to residents<\/span><\/i> and meets an unmet need <\/span>as determined by the residents<\/span><\/i>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What low-cost interventions have you seen? Continue the conversation @SolvngResBrnout<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"NEJM<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cWe\u2019re not like Stanford\u201d she said to me as we sat next to each other during our breakout session.\u00a0My cheeks reddened. Somehow, suddenly, I felt as if I became the embodiment of my entire institution. And my furrowed brow revealed my surprise. Her tone softened. \u201cWhat I mean is, resident wellness is easier when the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1301,"featured_media":2859,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[19,34,756,37,1043],"class_list":["post-2858","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-about-residency","tag-communication","tag-residency","tag-resident-burnout","tag-resident-experience","tag-wellness"],"yoast_head":"\nResident Wellness Doesn\u2019t Need to Be Expensive or Elaborate - Insights on Residency Training<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Dr. Orlovich discusses ways that programs can contribute to resident wellness without breaking the bank.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.nejm.org\/general-medicine\/index.php\/2020\/06\/resident-wellness-doesnt-need-to-be-expensive-or-elaborate\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Resident Wellness Doesn\u2019t Need to Be Expensive or Elaborate\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Dr. Orlovich discusses ways that programs can contribute to resident wellness without breaking the bank.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blogs.nejm.org\/general-medicine\/index.php\/2020\/06\/resident-wellness-doesnt-need-to-be-expensive-or-elaborate\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Insights on Residency Training\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-06-10T18:18:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-06-10T18:21:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/blogs.nejm.org\/general-medicine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/05\/medication-pills-isolated-on-purple-background-3683116-683x1024.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"683\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Daniel Orlovich, MD, PharmD\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Daniel Orlovich, MD, PharmD\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.nejm.org\/general-medicine\/index.php\/2020\/06\/resident-wellness-doesnt-need-to-be-expensive-or-elaborate\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blogs.nejm.org\/general-medicine\/index.php\/2020\/06\/resident-wellness-doesnt-need-to-be-expensive-or-elaborate\/\",\"name\":\"Resident Wellness Doesn\u2019t Need to Be Expensive or Elaborate - 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