Challenges and Benefits of Residency Away Rotations: Trainee Perspectives

Area of Science:

• Graduate Medical Education
• Anesthesiology Residency Training
• Physician Well-being

Background:

• Away rotations are common in residency training to meet educational requirements.
• These rotations are critical in military anesthesiology programs due to limited case availability.
• The impact of away rotations on residents' personal and professional lives is understudied.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the lived experiences of anesthesiology residents during away rotations.
• To understand the challenges and benefits from the trainees' perspective.
• To inform military and civilian residency programs on optimizing training and support.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative descriptive approach with a constructivist paradigm.
• Semi-structured interviews with PGY-3 and PGY-4 anesthesiology residents from four military programs.
• Thematic analysis to identify recurring patterns and insights.

Main Results:

• Residents gained diverse clinical exposure and professional opportunities.
• Personal and professional growth was reported.
• Emotional and psychological strain due to loss of social support was evident.
• A burden on family and home responsibilities was identified.

Conclusions:

• Away rotations offer significant educational and networking benefits.
• Personal challenges include isolation, stress, and negative familial impact, increasing burnout risk.
• Support systems are crucial for addressing personal hardships, familial obligations, and health.
• Future research should focus on mitigating personal consequences and balancing wellness with education.