“Dear colleagues. The unbearable has happened…last Friday we discovered that one of our residents was tragically taken from us… It appears that the resident took their own life in response to acute grief…”
– Dr. Christopher Doty (Program Director, University of Kentucky EM Residency Program)
Calling ALL Emergency Medicine (EM) physicians – residents and attendings alike! It shouldn’t take Dr. Doty’s story or the loss by the resident’s family, friends, and colleagues suffered in order for us to recognize the importance of wellness. Our specialty is known to be high risk and it is surprising that we are so late to the game to try and change that. Well, together we can. We are a strong group of people. We see, hear, touch, and smell things that would make the average person nauseous. We are problem solvers and leaders.
Wellness Week starts TODAY
With that in mind, welcome to the second annual Emergency Wellness Week – January 22-28th, 2017!
In 2016, EM was the first medical specialty group to nationally promote physical, mental, and emotional health. The initiative has had far-reaching implications and many wellness activities have come from it – many of which have become ingrained into the yearly activities of various departments.
This year, we are combining forces of some of the most influential EM organizations including CanadiEM and HippoEM as well as combining the strengths of American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) and Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians (CAEP) to bring together a wonderful week filled with different ways that YOU can participate.
What you may have missed
Last week, we hosted a joint JGME-ALiEM virtual medical education journal club, featuring a paper by Dr. Kristin Raj on: “Systematic Analysis on Wellness Initiatives for Resident Wellness [PDF]” with the author. Read the synopsis and discussion on the blog post on the featured paper and latest #JGMEscholar tweets.
What can I do right now?
1. Sign up for ACEP’s daily e-mail here!
You will get 1 week of daily inspiration delivered right to your inbox on topics including personal resilience, mindfulness, and financial advice
2. Register for the Resident Wellness Consensus Summit
Essentials of Emergency Medicine is excited to announce a partnership with EMRA, ALiEM, and the Wellness Think Tank to produce an exciting new event exclusively for residents. Our Resident Wellness Consensus Summit will be free to registered Essentials of EM resident attendees, and will take place on May 15, 2017. This unprecedented event will feature discussions, workgroups, and consensus-based action plans on a range of resident wellness topics and the proceedings of this consensus will be published in the Western Journal of Emergency Medicine. Space is limited, so register for Essentials now on the EMRA site (special $249 resident-only, all-conference discount) to reserve your space.
3. Apply to Hippo EM’s Medical Education Fellowship
EM residents in North America can apply to win an all-expense paid Essentials of Emergency Medicine scholarship (Full event schedule and faculty lineup)
U.S. applicants should apply through ALiEM or EMCrit
Canadian applicants should apply through CanadiEM
How can I spend a little time each day focusing on Wellness this week?
January 23, 2017: Residency Wellness Program Initiatives
We have compiled a list of low cost, high-value wellness initiatives that have worked in residency programs around North America. These initiatives can be modified to fit your institution whether it be academic or community. The initiatives have come through the ALiEM Wellness Think Tank, which is a collaboration between residents from North American Emergency Medicine residency programs and faculty experienced in residency education, wellness, and resiliency.
January 24, 2017: 30 minutes of Wellness
Visit CanadiEM to read how some of our Wellness Experts stay well and incorporate wellness into their day! Only got 30 minutes of free time? Not to worry. We’ll hook you up with some tips and tricks that touch on the different aspects of wellness, so you can find what works best for you.
January 25, 2017: Read about debriefing critical incidents
This month’s Wellness and Resiliency in Residency series on ALiEM features the topic of Debriefing Critical Incidents by Dr. Arlene Chung. It also includes a podcast featuring Dr. Ilene Claudius, the ever-popular pediatric emergency medicine expert, who talks about her residency experience, the secret ingredients that made it so great, and the humanity in giving bad news. These conversations are a sneak peak into the first ever Resident Wellness Consensus Summit on May 15, 2017 at the Essentials of EM Course in Las Vegas.
January 26, 2017: Share a photo today
We want to see what you are doing this week! Take to Twitter and share a picture of how you or your program is staying well and celebrating Wellness Week! It could be an exercise, a healthy food you enjoyed during the week, some artwork you’ve created, social events, or any other wellness activity. Include the hashtag #EMWellnessWeek, @CAEPResidents, @ACEPWellness, @ACEPNow and/or @ALiEMteam so we can compile them and feature them in an upcoming post! If you’re an Instagram junkie, email your photos to fitmedicine@gmail.com and follow @residentwellness in order to instantly upgrade your feed!
January 27, 2017: Physicians as Humans
Physicians as Humans is an ongoing blog on CanadiEM put together by Niresha Velmurugiah, an emergency medicine resident at the University of Alberta. The podcast explores true stories on how people in medicine reconcile personal crises such as addictions and mental health issues, with their positions as caregivers, educators, and authority figures. In this week’s episode, she reads a Canadian emergency physician’s personal account of coming to terms with her depression.
January 28, 2017: Highlights of Wellness Initiatives
Members of the 2016-17 ALiEM Chief Resident Incubator have submitted their proposals for a Wellness Grant to improve wellness at their residency program. We will be announcing the winners of these EBSCO / DynaMed Plus Wellness Grants, which will award $1,000 for the first prize and $500 to the second prize winner, as well as highlight some of the amazing initiatives completed during Wellness Week!
What resources are out there for me to learn more?
There are a number of amazing organizations that have published valuable wellness resources, and we want to highlight some of those resources here! There is a wealth of information and a number of expert perspectives to explore.
Organization
Social Media Links
Resources
ACEP Wellness Section
@ACEPWellness
@ACEPNow
Facebook
Home website
Sign up for daily emails during Wellness Week.
Follow using the official hastag #EMWellnessWeek
ALiEM and Wellness Think Tank
@ALiEMteam
Facebook
ALiEM home website
Wellness Think Tank website
Blogs posts:
How I Stay Healthy in Emergency Medicine series
Wellness Think Tank series on EM residency wellness
How I Promote Wellness in Emergency Medicine series
Wellness Think Tank podcasts:
Work-Life Balancing Act during Residency with Dr. Rob Orman and Dr. Anand Swaminathan
Strategizing on Physician Wellness with ZDoggMD (Dr. Zubin Damania)
Resiliency and Stress Management with Dr. Jason Brooks
Interprofessional Conflict with Dr. Scott Weingart
Bullying and the Medical Culture with Dr. Shahina Braganza
Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians (CAEP)
@CAEPResidents
@CAEP_Docs
Facebook
Home website
Canadian Wellness resources
CanadiEM
@WeAreCanadiEM
Facebook
Home website
Physicians as Humans [podcast]
Council of EM Residency Directors (CORD)
@CORD_EM
Facebook
Home website
CORD blog website
Hippo EM: Essentials of EM
@EssentialsofEM
Facebook:
HippoEM
Facebook:
Essentials of EM
EEM home website
Essentials of EM 2017 Resident Wellness Consensus Summit (signup page for residents on EMRA page)
Essentials of EM Fellowship Medical Education Fellowship application via ALiEM, CanadiEM, or EMCrit sites. FREE conference registration, FREE 4-night hotel stay at the Cosmopolitan Hotel, and a travel stipend
Open access podcasts:
The Happy MD’s Guide to Physician Wellness by Dike Drummond, MD and Rob Orman, MD. How do we change the culture of medicine, so that we aren’t caring just about patients but also caring about ourselves and each other?
The Schedule Hack by Dike Drummond, MD and Rob Orman, MD. Managing your job isn’t as hard as you think, but it takes a strategy and commitment.
Physician Burnout by Dike Drummond, MD and Rob Orman, MD. Most of us will face some degree of burnout during our careers. The trick is to recognize it and grow from there.
Join us for an awesome and busy week of wellness!
Thanks to Dr. Theresa Hsiao from Albert Einstein, Dr. Zafrina Poonja from University of Saskatchewan, Dr. Cristian Patterson from Maricopa University, Dr. Chloe Kelso from Ohio State University, Dr. Jennifer Tango from Loma Linda University, Dr. Charlotte Roy from University of Chicago, Dr. Liang Liu from University of Texas Southwestern, and Dr. Judah Hwang from Drexel University for contributing photos!
Author information
Fareen Zaver, MD
Lead Editor/Co-Founder of ALiEM Approved Instructional Resources - Professional (AIR-Pro)
Champion, 2016-17 ALiEM Chief Resident Incubator
Board Member, 2016-17 ALiEM Wellness Think Tank
Clinical Lecturer, Emergency Physician
University of Calgary Emergency Department
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