Resident Wellness Committee
During training, Residents may face difficult patient care, educational or personal events which have the ability to negatively affect their well-being. Decompressing after such situations, through conversation with peers, mentors or family, and self-care activities, can increase resilience.
The SIU Family Medicine Residency Wellness Committee is comprised of behaviorists, faculty and residents. Residency wellness is taken very seriously and a formalized plan is in place. Well-being may be positively increased by interacting with patients and colleagues at work, being intellectually stimulated and by feeling that one is making a difference/helping. In addition, self-care activities, including exercise, getting plenty of rest and connecting with others, are beneficial.
We want our Family Medicine Residents to thrive, not just survive. The plan includes:
- Balint, once a month.
- Six hours to include massage therapy, lunch outings, and meditation.
- Two half-days where Residents escape to the gym, self-defense courses, bowling, building beds, and other group fun.
- Residents have regular “check-ins” with their advisors.
- Handbook full of resources is available.
- “Home base” six times per year which is a support group for each class.
- Wellness is incorporated into the residency curriculum; time is allotted for self-reflection and other skills.
- Breaks scheduled on didactic days focus on well-being, examples include poetry, indulging in ice cream treats, and exercise sessions.
