Residency is an opportunity to practice, learn and develop into proficient and compassionate physicians. With that goal comes inevitable hard work and confrontation of difficult cases. Within the Arkansas Pediatric Residency Program we recognize the importance of supporting residents through challenging situations and believe that emphasizing Resident Wellness is crucial to maintaining an environment conducive to learning and preventing burnout.
Ongoing Wellness Efforts
In 2018 a group of residents and faculty initiated a quality improvement project dedicated to decreasing secondary traumatic stress among our pediatric residents. With that project we have continued to regularly monitor stress levels through anonymous surveys and provide regular opportunities for residents to provide feedback about effective ways to provide support. Some of the activities and initiatives which have developed from this project include monthly reflection rounds dedicated to discussing difficult cases or situations, a dedicated half-day on electives for residents to take time for self-care, development of a resident wellness group, and targeted interventions tailored to various stress-inducing situations. We recognize that based on the diversity of needs within the residency program, our efforts will require ongoing monitoring and evaluation and we are committed to the continued development of efforts supporting resident wellness.
Dedicated Faculty
Recognizing the need for sustained efforts related to resident wellness, an Associate Program Director for Resident Wellness was appointed in 2020. Dr. Liza Murray currently holds this title and is dedicated to the continued efforts related to improving resiliency, decreasing stress and promoting overall resident wellness. With a dedicated faculty member committed to wellness efforts, we hope to promote the ongoing development of programs, projects and institutional support of residents’ mental health. In addition to the Associate Program Director, we have multiple additional faculty members involved with and committed to various wellness projects and efforts.
Social Events
Balancing work and life is important and we want our residents to enjoy life in Little Rock and have time to get to know each other outside of work. Visit our dedicated social events page on the website to see a selection of a few of the regular residency-sponsored events. In addition to these regularly scheduled events we continue to support and develop fun and creative ways to decompress and spend time with friends and family.
UAMS Wellness Resources
In addition to the ongoing efforts within our individual residency program, all residents will have access to the Employee Assistance Program with confidential and emergent counseling if needed. Please visit the following link for the UAMS GME Wellness Resources: https://residentwellness.uams.edu/.