Kaiser Permanente’s Commitment to Resident Wellness

We believe:

Healthy, resilient residents are in the best position to maximize their patients’ care and the success of their residency.

The human factors which are an essential part of the art of medicine must be attended to and supported.

Professional satisfaction and organizational performance are inseparable.

The right medical practice setting can enable physicians to pursue both a rewarding professional career and a meaningful personal life.

  • The right amount of autonomy within a supportive group culture
  • Distinguished faculty
  • Leadership training and development
  • Recognition and awards programs
  • Excellent benefits and compensation package

Challenges

Residency is a time of tremendous personal and professional growth. As new physicians, residents become intimate with the processes of birth, illness, and death, learn a phenomenal number of new skills, and for first time have near total responsibility for the care of their patients.

  • Responsibility, uncertainty, and change are very stressful.

  • Sleep deprivation, excessive patient loads, high patient mortality, dealing with uncompromising attending physicians, and peer competition are all commonly perceived sources of resident stress .
  • Gender, as well as family roles and obligations, can cause additional stress for residents.
    • Women residents report more stress than men and unmarried residents report more stress than those who are married.
    • Married women, however, gain less support from spouses, are plagued by conflicting roles and obligations, and may be more stressed by the lack of personal time than men.

Solutions - Physical Health: We walk our talk

  • Care for your physical health: make healthy food choices, make time for an exercise regimen that you enjoy, and maximize the quality of your sleep.
  • Make a personal schedule at least monthly and try to stick to it. Schedule your time carefully. Consider how much activity contributes to your sense of well-being and your “life plan”.
  • Include time for exercise, hobbies, eating well, visiting with friends and family, and studying.
  • Test yourself. How much are you following your own advice?
  • Create a sleeping space that is quiet and dark enough to allow sleep during day or night: unplug/turn off the phones; consider using eye covers, earplugs, or a sound machine; do not try to maintain a “day shift” life if you are working nights. Be clear and consistent with family and friends about this time.
  • Avoid the use of alcohol and drugs to relieve the stress. It is a slippery slope from casual use to abuse, so be attentive to your stress and to your own coping mechanisms.

Mental Health: IQ vs. EQ

  • Find something about each day at work that challenges you or brings you joy.
  • Incorporate a sense of spirituality into your day. This can take many forms, but is about finding meaning in your life. Consider meditation. Explore what works for you.
  • Learn to say “no” to commitments that are not important to you.
  • Get involved in some activity outside of the residency program / medical center – something in which you can feel useful and successful. Be creative. Play.
  • Do not delay all gratification. Reward yourself appropriately for large and small things learned, both positive and negative. Appreciate your accomplishments during this time of tremendous personal growth. Appreciate the opportunity you have created for yourself in residency, and make all that you can out of it. Enjoy the process.

Social Health: Establish Your Support Team

  • Maintain healthy relationships by spending time with those who are supportive of you.
  • Establish and prioritize reasonable written goals and objectives for your personal and professional growth.
  • Establish a relationship with an advisor or mentor – someone who does not evaluate you.
  • If you are feeling stressed about an incident, explore all the feelings you experience about it. Write your feelings down on paper. Reframe the incident, taking into account the perspectives of all people involved.
  • If you are in a crisis, seek out a support group, counselor, or professional therapist.
  • Remember that to err is human. Medical errors and adverse events occur despite our best efforts. These events often result in pain, shame, guilt, and regret. Pathologic coping mechanisms may lead to loss of self-confidence, ongoing distress and even depression. Learn from your mistakes. Talk to others who can provide support and empathy and learn to move on. Keep things in perspective and remember that adverse events do not mean that you are inadequate as a physician or person.
  • It may be difficult to recognize that you are stressed. Listen to others who tell you that you are and take the appropriate action to take care of yourself.