Transparency of Wellness Programming Across Canadian Plastic Surgery Residency Programs

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Training
• Resident Well-being

Background:

• Accrediting bodies in Canada emphasize integrating wellness into training programs.
• The transparency of wellness initiatives in residency programs to prospective applicants is unclear.
• This study assesses the visibility of wellness in Canadian plastic surgery residency programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the transparency and visibility of wellness initiatives across Canadian plastic surgery residency programs.
• To analyze how wellness is communicated on program websites, CaRMS descriptions, and social media.
• To identify variations in the presentation of wellness information among programs.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional content analysis of 12 Canadian plastic surgery residency programs was performed.
• Program websites, Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS) 2026 R-1 match descriptions, and Instagram accounts were reviewed.
• Explicit mentions of 'wellness' and related terms were identified and quantified; Instagram posts were categorized.

Main Results:

• 50% of programs mentioned wellness on their websites; only one had a dedicated wellness tab.
• 67% referenced wellness in CaRMS descriptions, but content was often brief.
• Only 3.9% of analyzed Instagram posts were wellness-related, compared to 35.6% academic posts.

Conclusions:

• Canadian plastic surgery residency programs exhibit variable transparency regarding wellness initiatives on digital platforms.
• Enhancing the accessibility and clarity of wellness information is recommended.
• Improved transparency can better inform applicants and underscore institutional commitment to resident well-being.