No time to think: making room for reflection in obstetrics and gynecology residency

Reflective practice may help physicians identify and connect with what they value and find meaningful in their work. There are many practical obstacles in teaching narrative skills and reflection to residents in surgical subspecialties. We aimed to assess the feasibility of designing and implementing a writing workshop series within an obstetrics and gynecology curriculum.

Between 2008 and 2009, a reflective writing workshop series was introduced into the didactic curriculum of an obstetrics and gynecology residency program. The course included reading fiction and creative writing. Workshops focused on topics residents identified. Residents answered a subjective questionnaire and also completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory and Interpersonal Reactivity Index to assess burnout and empathy.

Six 1-hour reflective writing workshops took place within the dedicated didactic time for residents. Of the 20 residents in the program, 10 junior residents and 8 senior residents evaluated the workshops. Ten residents participated in more than one workshop, an average of 3.6 workshops. Residents felt that the workshops were enjoyable, and some felt that they influenced their experience of residency, but few felt that it affected their work with patients. Trends in Maslach Burnout Inventory and Interpersonal Reactivity Index scores did not show statistical significance.

A practical curriculum for introducing reflective practice to obstetrics and gynecology residents is described. This model may be useful to educators looking to incorporate reflective practice into residency curricula and lead to collaborative work that may assess the impact of this work on the experience of residents and their patients.