Resident-Led Peer Support Groups in Emergency Medicine: A Pilot Framework for Peer Leader Training

Peer support has demonstrated efficacy in alleviating symptoms of anxiety and depression, while fostering empathy and mitigating burnout among healthcare professionals. Given the considerable demands of residency training, there is a strong rationale for resident-led peer support interventions. However, structured programs to train residents for such leadership roles remain limited. Our objective was to implement a peer support leader training program for residents, evaluate its perceived effectiveness, and identify common themes discussed in sessions. Between June 2021 and June 2023, we performed a longitudinal, prospective cohort survey study of Emergency Medicine (EM) and EM/Pediatrics (EM/P) residents participating in a novel peer support leader training curriculum. Resident peer support leaders then facilitated biweekly support sessions, with post-session surveys assessing leader preparedness and themes discussed utilizing a novel Resident Stress Checklist (RSC). In total, 16 unique leaders were trained over two years and 52 biweekly peer support group sessions were held. In Year 1 (Y1), 6 resident leaders conducted an average of three sessions each, with 7 residents on average attending each session. In Year 2 (Y2), 4 leaders graduated and 2 leaders from Y1 continued in this role. An additional 10 resident leaders were trained. The 12 leaders in Y2 facilitated an average of 2 sessions each, with 5 residents on average attending each session. Of the completed post-session leader surveys (n = 39), 100% reported feeling prepared to lead the sessions based on their training. The RSC identified the most frequent stressor as work-life balance, most common symptom as frustration, and most common consequence of stress as emotional/psychological suffering. Resident-led peer support training was feasible and well-received, with all surveyed resident leaders reporting adequate preparation. The RSC revealed common session themes that guided future training topics and wellness curriculum interventions.