Curriculum content for this initiative was created through the process of an Appreciative Inquiry with the resident body:
- DISCOVER: Appreciate and value the best of what is.
- DREAM: Envision what might be.
- DESIGN: Dialogue about what should be.
- DELIVER: Innovate and create what will be.
The process informed the initiative’s annual and ongoing activities, which can be partitioned into six categories:
CAREER | ||
EMOTIONAL | ||
FINANCIAL | ||
PHYSICAL | ||
SOCIAL | ||
SPIRITUAL |
Annual Well-Being Activities
Well-Being Week
The Resident Well-Being Initiative holds an annual Well-Being Week in February that includes interactive sessions each day and an Appreciative Inquiry biennially.
UPMC Graduate Medical Education Chief Conference
Residents also have the opportunity to participate in well-being events through UPMC Graduate Medical Education (GME) well-being activities through the WELL Committee, which is co-chaired by Dr. Sansea Jacobson.
Weekly Well-Being Activities
To target individual well-being and resilience, discussions and events targeting each domain of well-being are held weekly during the lunch hour on Tuesdays and are led by resident Well-Being Spoke leaders. These sessions help residents grow a support network, learn skills specific to wellness during residency, and build a community working to enhance well-being. Examples of noon-time activities include: Introduction to Investing, Gratitude Practice for Housekeeping Staff, Overcoming Imposter Syndrome, and a Zoom Baking Class during the Pandemic.
Continued Institutional Improvement
In addition to interventions aimed at individual resilience, the Resident Well-Being Initiative also seeks to identify opportunities for enhancing resident well-being through system-level changes. This is accomplished through biennial Appreciative Inquiries, and the yearly appointment of a Chief Resident of Well-Being. Some examples of WPH Well-Being Innovation include:
Renovated resident offices with common spaces
Full-spectrum light box in resident call room
Automated process for patient logging
Designated Well-Being Afternoons for personal appointments
Physician extender hired to assist with overnight physicals
Formation of a resident nutrition committee
Creation of the General Psychiatry Program Reading List
Weekly residency activities email to decrease email burden