Resident wellness

Wellness has been recognized as a key issue facing physicians in today’s climate. In 2017, the National Academy of Medicine launched the Action Collaborative on Clinician Well-Being and Resilience, a network of more than 60 organizations committed to reversing trends in clinician burnout.

The Collaborative has three goals:

Raise the visibility of clinician anxiety, burnout, depression, stress and suicide.
Improve baseline understanding of challenges to clinician well-being
Advance evidence-based, multidisciplinary solutions to improve patient care by "caring for the caregiver".

We have taken these goals to heart. Our core faculty Wellness Director is Dr. Connie Abarikwu. Under her leadership, we have chosen to focus our energy on many program-specific initiatives on fostering wellness.

These include:

A curriculum on recognizing and combatting burnout
Training interested residents in Peer Support Group techniques
Encouraging residents to take an extra day off during their Ambulatory rotations to foster mindfulness and self-care
Wellness retreats throughout the year, aimed at promoting togetherness and providing a mental break from clinical work.

Internal medicine residents on group retreat — Residents on group retreat

Internal medicine residents retreat - playing drums at the MIM — Residents playing drums at the MIM

HonorHealth also has a commitment to promoting physician wellness. Some of the programs offered to all residents include:

Employee Assistance Program – access to confidential counselors via phone or online; extended to 6 free sessions during COVID
Caring for the Caregiver – unlimited phone access to confidential support group trained counselors
Discounted rates at HonorHealth Essential Touch Wellness Spa and Boutique