Wellbeing as Defined by Resident Physicians: A Qualitative Study

• Published in: The American surgeon 2023-06, Vol.89 (6), p.2861-2864
• Main Authors: Slama, Eliza M., Batarseh, Laith, Bryan, Francesca, Roberts, Andrew, Bokhari, Faran, Cunningham, Steven C., Kowdley, Gopal C.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0003-1348; 1555-9823
• DOI: 10.1177/00031348211065092

The importance of resident wellbeing is increasingly recognized by the ACGME as essential. While prior studies have quantified wellbeing/burnout, few have defined wellbeing from the resident–physician perspective. A REDCap® survey was distributed to residents in various programs, responses were grouped by theme, and data analyzed via chi-square. From 19 institutions, 53/670 responded, from university (34.0%), community (30.2%), and community/university-affiliated (30.2%) programs, mostly surgical (84.9%), followed by medical (9.4%). Wellbeing was defined by mental and spiritual/religious health (33.8%), overall health (23.0%), free time/time management (23.0%), and job/salary satisfaction (18.9%). Proposed changes to traditional training included fewer hours and more schedule flexibility (38.2%), and increased/improved support/feedback (14.7%). Nearly half of the respondents perceived lacking education on career longevity. Wellbeing is paramount to the personal/professional development of residents. Data on resident-defined wellbeing are lacking. The improved understanding of wellbeing defined here can be used to improve residency training programs.