The Relationships Between Hospital Support Staff and Vascular Trainee Educational Experience and Well-Being

Many stakeholders contribute to effective training environments for surgical residents, including program administrators and nursing staff. This study evaluates associations of hospital support staff with trainee educational time and wellness.

Data were collected via confidential voluntary survey of vascular trainees, who were asked about support staff interactions and protected educational time. Responses were recorded on a five-point Likert scale and dichotomized as positive or negative. Multivariable clustered logistic regression was used to evaluate the associations of support staff with educational time and educational time with burnout. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to adjust for experiences of mistreatment.

Of 427 trainees with complete data for items of interest (62% response rate), most responded positively to questions of support staff and educational time. On multivariable analysis of associations with support staff, reporting that programs had adequate staffing and clear division of labor were significant predictors for satisfaction with education (odds ratio (OR) 7.0, P < 0.001, and OR 6.3, P < 0.001, respectively). Those who were satisfied with education had lower odds of burnout (OR 0.25, P < 0.001) and thoughts of attrition (OR 0.15, P < 0.001).

Trainees with positive support staff relationships were more likely to be satisfied with their education, and satisfaction with education was associated with increased wellness. Addressing sources of mistreatment will likely improve the educational experience. Future work should incorporate support staff experiences to promote successful team-based care.