General Surgery Resident Participation in a Mandatory Wellness Program: Six Years Later

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Physician Wellness
• Surgical Residency Training

Background:

• A physician wellness program was approved in 2016, with initial surveys showing support for a mandatory curriculum.
• The CORE7 Wellness Program's didactic sessions were integrated into the general surgery resident curriculum in 2016.

Purpose of the Study:

• To survey surgical residents six years after the wellness curriculum's implementation.
• To re-evaluate resident preference for mandatory participation in wellness initiatives.

Main Methods:

• A survey was administered to general surgery residents in 2022.
• Results were compared to a 2016 survey to examine approval and resident experience.
• Response rates for 2022 (67.5%) and 2016 (87.1%) were analyzed.

Main Results:

• Unanimous support (100%) for the ongoing development of the general surgery wellness program was observed in 2022.
• A majority of residents (88%) preferred quarterly "wellness half-days" to remain mandatory, a slight increase from 2016 (85.2%).
• Reasons for mandatory preference shifted from primarily ease of explanation to faculty in 2016 to include guilt and self-care encouragement in 2022, alongside ease of explanation. Complaints from team members increased from 29% to 48%.

Conclusions:

• Six years post-implementation, mandatory components of the general surgery residency wellness curriculum maintain unanimous support.
• Increased perceived complaints regarding resident wellness present an opportunity for program improvement.
• The study highlights sustained resident commitment to wellness programs within surgical education.