Resident Wellness

Our Goal for the Resident Wellness Program is to help our Anesthesiology trainees find better overall balance in their busy lives. Subjects in our multifaceted curriculum include: work-life balance, coping mechanisms for stress, developing resilience, improving trainee engagement, emotional well-being, collegiality, professionalism and patient care.

Inaugural Department of Anesthesiology Wellness Week: September 15-21, 2021

In coordination with the Stress Management and Mindfulness Teaching Block, the Resident Wellness Committee planned and implemented the 1^st annual Departmental Wellness Week. The week’s schedule was as follows:

9/15 Wed – 8am Grand Rounds: Dr. Amy Vinson, Visiting Professor from Harvard Medical School gave a talk on “Wellness in a New World”

9/16 Thurs – 5:30pm Thirsty Thursday 2-mile loop Fun Run/Walk starting and ending at Random Row Brewing Co. or Yoga with Shannon McElroy (bring your own mat)

9/17 Fri – Fun Friday for Residents in the Ready Room (Spa Day theme:  including acupuncture by our own Dr. Joe O’Brien, face masks, making of  sugar scrubs, healthy snacks, and restful practices!)

9/18 Sat – 1:30-4pm Department-wide Softball Competition at The Park by the Law School; the last hour against the Peds Department – also anyone is invited to come out and cheer even if not interested in playing!

9/20 Mon – 4pm Resident Conference (CA-0s and CA-1s): Dr. Deborah Barry, Wellbeing Tips and Tricks for Residency Success

9/21 Tues – 3:30pm Resident Conference (CA-2s and CA-3s): Dr. Deborah Barry, Wellbeing Tips and Tricks for Residency and Beyond

Tues – 5 pm Hot Yoga: Dr. Barry invites you to attend her complimentary Hot Yoga class at the Downtown Studio. https://hotyogacville.com/

9/22 Weds – 5-8pm Wine Wednesday at King Family Vineyards, come out for any portion of this event and enjoy the beautiful weather with colleagues as we Wine-d down together and wrap up Wellness Week! Food trucks will be there as well, so enjoy a night of not having to plan dinner [THIS EVENT CANCELLED DUE TO RAIN]

The week’s events also included collecting school supply donations throughout the week to support Backpack Buddies (see supplies needed at this link: https://www.backpackbuddiesva.org/ or consider donating via Venmo @backpackbuddies).

Members of the department also submitted their favorite recipes to contribute to a department-wide Recipe Book to share!

Can’t wait to enhance programming for next year’s Wellness Week!

POD Program: Groups of 3-4 residents of each clinical training level along with 1-2 faculty provide peer to peer mentorship as well as  faculty mentorship. PODS meet at least once quarterly to check in with one another, facilitate growth and increase wellness throughout residency.

Quarterly Thursday Wellness Check-Ins: Each quarter we pick a theme (Physical, Mental, Professional, Social) to focus on for short didactic/workshop presentations along with time to reflect, participate and interact regarding events in the residency. Workshops include preparation for fellowship, practice, financial planning, team building, resilience training, coping with stress and management of difficult outcomes.

More Well-Being Resources – In addition, the UVA Graduate Medical Education community is committed to the well-being of its trainees and has developed a website of resources.

UVA Resident enjoys an Acupuncture Treatment.

Ready Room Spa Day is an example of a Lunch & Learn event planned by our residents to promote resident self-care, relaxation, and stress-management techniques.  If you walked into the Ready Room, you just felt relaxed and rejuvenated. 

For the residents, the Ready Room is a “home base” where time is spent in between cases, catching up with other residents, and enjoying the camaraderie of residency. The Resident Wellness and Development Committee turned the Ready Room into a “Zen Spa” environment for a day, complete with calming essential oil diffusers, beach scenes, aromatherapy neck pillows, spa music, and healthy treats.

Residents enjoy the relaxing atmosphere of the “Ready Room Spa.”

We were also lucky enough to learn about acupuncture treatments from our very own Dr. O’Brien– many of the residents even had treatments to promote strength and resilience themselves! We are so grateful for everyone’s efforts and participation that made this event such a success and a welcome break from the hectic OR environment...we NEED more days like this!

Another wellness sponsored event was the 1st annual Gingerbread House contest!  Each residency class asked faculty to provide candy, decorating supplies, and then had a week to create their masterpieces!  The CA3 Class came out on top, followed by the Interns (CA0s)!