Resident Wellness
Objectives
- To promote and maintain healthy, well-rounded surgical residents
- To proactively guard against resident burnout, fatigue, depression, and self-destructive behaviors while promoting resident resiliency
- To establish a framework for wellness programs within surgical residencies at the local, regional, and national levels
- To educate surgical residents in non-technical skills such as time-management, mentorship, healthy lifestyles, and professionalism
- To provide resources for the transition of new interns to life as a resident and support resources for established residents
- To centralize all resident wellness concerns in an efficient and comprehensive manner
Vision
The vision of the THRIVE well-being program is to support the physical, emotional, financial, spiritual, and mental health of surgical residents at the University of Toledo to achieve excellence in education, clinical care, and research.
Motto
Don’t just “do better” in Toledo. THRIVE in Toledo.
Time Management
It is important for leaders to practice effective time management. Time is the most precious resource, as it cannot be bought, saved, or stored. Thus, management of time is essential for a productive and balanced life for those in the organization. The effective use of one’s time is best done through a formal time management program to improve one’s ability to lead by setting priorities and making choices to achieve goals. The efficient use of one’s time helps to improve both productivity and quality of life. It is important for surgeons and surgical trainees to learn and use a formal time management program. There are ever-increasing demands placed on surgeons and surgical trainees to deliver the highest quality care in highly regulated environments. Furthermore, strict regulations on limitation of work hours demand surgical trainees learn patient care in a limited amount of time. All told, these demands are enormously stressful and can lead to burnout, drug and/or alcohol abuse, and poor performance. A time-motion study of general surgery trainees analyzed residents’ self-reported time logs to determine resident time expenditure on educational/service-related activities. Surprisingly, senior residents were noted to spend 13.5% of their time on low-service, low-educational value activities. This time, properly managed, could be used to either reduce work hours or improve educational efficiency in the context of new work hour restrictions. It is therefore critical that time be used wisely on effectively achieving one’s goals.
Leadership Training
- Learn the basics of how to be an effective leader during weekly Wednesday morning conferences with Dr. Brunicardi.
- Tips to being a good mentor/mentee: Own the relationship, be prepared, take action on advice, ask thoughtful questions, check your ego, set short and long term goals, show gratitude/honesty, set realistic expectations
Employee Assistance Program
- Impact solutions—mental health resources, finances, legal assistance, etc. (myimpactsolution.com)
Healthy Eating
- Grocery Stores: Kroger, The Fresh Market, Costco, Whole Foods, Fresh Thyme, Phoenix Co op
- Restaurants: Balance Pan-Asian Grille, FUSIAN, Piada, Byblos, Pita Pit, Sidon, Jamba Juice, CoreLife eatery, Element 112
- In Hospital: resident lounge (fruit, yogurt), Cafeteria (salads, made-to-order sandwiches)
Outdoor Activities
- Wabash Cannonball Trail—cycling
- Toledo Botanical Garden
- Metroparks—Wildwood, Ottawa Hill, Swan Creek, Side Cut, Oak Openings, Secor, Olander
Fitness
- Gyms: LA Fitness, Super Fitness, ProMedica Wildwood Athletic Club, Fitness 4 All, Planet Fitness, UTMC Morse Fitness Center, UT Rec Center (Main Campus), SRC Aquatics Center
- CrossFit Toledo, Orange Theory
- iLoveKickboxing, Soul City Boxing, Martial Arts Toledo, Jazzercise, Yogaja yoga
- Exceleration Gymnastics Center, Sunrise Gymnastics Academy
Well-Being Resources
- Well Being Index for Residents and Fellows—login using ACS credentials (mywellbeingindex.org/login)
- ACS Surgeon Well-Being (facs.org/member-services/surgeon-wellbeing)
- Books: Physician suicide letters, Why Physicians die by suicide, Delivering Doctor Amelia, Man’s Search for Meaning
- Married to Doctors blog (marriedtodoctors.com/blog/)
- Guest Speakers
Surgery Resident Events/Outings
- Local sporting events (Mud Hens, Walleye, UT sporting events)
- Quarterly social outings (bowling, ice skating, zombie bar crawl, dinner, Toledo Symphony, shows)
- Annual Resident Retreat
- Annual Department of Surgery Jackets
*Unless otherwise stated, the use of these services and participation in these events is not mandatory, but highly recommended.
**The University of Toledo General Surgery Residency Program is committed to providing an educational and professional working environment free of discrimination, intimidation, harassment, or retaliation on the basis of sex. We adhere to The University of Toledo policy and Title IX federal law that prohibits sex discrimination. The General Surgery Residency Program advocates for zero tolerance of sexual harassment or gender discrimination. We are committed to fostering an environment for the training of surgical residents and medical students that is supportive, fair, and respectful.
Contact Us
Wellness Committee: Christina Camick, Somya Al-Embideen, Motaz Al-Yafi, Tamara Maghathe
Wellness Committee Chairs: Christina Camick, Somya Al-Embideen, Carly Chappell
Questions/Concerns:
Email: Christina Camick; Somya Al-Embideen
Visit the UToledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences Wellness website for more information and resources.