There is no question that being a resident (and being a physician) can be hard. Helping patients and families on the journey to health and as they traverse uncertainty and grapple with serious diagnoses can be incredibly rewarding, it can also take an emotional, psychological, and physical toll. This particularly true when the hours are long and the work is demanding; when we feel vulnerable as we practice new skills in varied environments and teams; when we bear witness to injustice and trauma; and when we feel stretched in attending to our whole selves, both at work and outside of it.
The University of Washington Internal Medicine Residency Program is committed to ensuring the wellbeing of our residents, not just in residency, but in their future career. Our goal is to train future physician leaders who will have sustainable careers amidst evolving workplace challenges and in diverse work environments.
We do this by:
- Creating a supportive and safe community in which residents can be vulnerable and grow;
- Providing protected opportunities for joy, reflection, connection, and professional development through retreats, professional development days, and program sponsored social events;
- Developing a novel longitudinal wellness curriculum with our resident Wellness Curriculum Committee in which we not only teach residents how to address their personal wellness needs, but also how to advocate for wellness needs within the teams and systems in which they work;
- Providing resources to support individual wellness (including access to free and confidential counseling services through our GME office.