How resident doctors' personal and professional development can benefit from a pause in training

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Psychology
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Residency training is demanding, leading to burnout and wellbeing concerns among doctors globally.
• There is a growing need for sustainable learning and professional growth strategies in residency programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore resident doctors' motivations and experiences regarding Out-of-Programme-Pause (OOP-P).
• To understand the personal and service benefits derived from OOP-P.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative research design with an interpretivist paradigm.
• Interviews conducted with 29 residents taking time out of programme in England.
• Analysis guided by self-determination theory to create resident ideal types.

Main Results:

• Four resident ideal types identified: seeking clinical exposure, solidifying capabilities, managing burnout, and consolidating specialty choice.
• Residents used OOP-P to regain autonomous motivation by addressing unmet basic needs.
• Training Programme Directors viewed OOP-P in patient-facing roles as less disruptive than alternatives, aiding resident retention.

Conclusions:

• A model allowing residents to pause training while maintaining patient-facing roles can mitigate short-term issues and offer long-term service benefits.
• Recommendations are provided to support diverse resident needs and prevent disaffection, enhancing retention.