Thriving in Residency: a Qualitative Study.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Physician Well-being
• Psychology

Background:

• Physician burnout is widely researched, but physician well-being and thriving remain understudied.
• Resident physician burnout is a significant concern in medical training.
• A model for resident physician thriving is proposed to address this gap.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify factors contributing to a subjective sense of thriving among resident physicians.
• To explore the elements that foster both career and life satisfaction in residents.
• To develop a framework for understanding and promoting resident physician thriving.

Main Methods:

• In-depth interviews were conducted with resident physicians from May 2020 to February 2021.
• Snowball sampling was used for participant recruitment.
• Thematic content analysis with a grounded theory approach was employed, alongside validated instruments for satisfaction and burnout assessment.

Main Results:

• Twenty-four resident physicians with high satisfaction and no burnout were interviewed.
• Six key themes emerged: program leadership, learning climate, connectedness, joy in medicine, life balance, and intrinsic factors.
• These themes collectively contribute to a resident's sense of thriving.

Conclusions:

• A model of resident thriving is proposed, integrating identified key themes.
• This model can inform the structure, culture, and values of residency programs.
• Promoting these factors may enhance resident well-being and mitigate burnout.