Internal medicine residents focus on wellness during annual retreat

Second-year internal medicine residents participate in a wellness retreat.

Second-year residents in USA Health’s Department of Internal Medicine recently attended an annual wellness retreat at the Strada Patient Care Center.   

Part of the Internal Medicine Residency Wellness Program, the retreat addresses burnout, resiliency techniques and wellness strategies under the direction of department leadership, including Judy Blair, M.D., professor and director of the internal medicine residency program; Haley Ballard, M.D., assistant program director and associate professor; Rachel Seaman, M.D., associate professor; and Yun Coronado, M.D., MBA, assistant professor.   

Residents create Mardi Gras bead mosaics.

The risk for burnout and depression ranks high among medical students, even as they progress into their residencies, according to the American Medical Association. In response, medical schools and faculty are taking steps to educate students about the importance of self-care early on.  

During the wellness retreat, residents learned about the eight components of a wellness wheel through various lectures, events and activities.    

To add an element of competition, four teams faced off against each other in the following areas included in the wellness wheel:   

• Social: In a “Three Truths and a Lie” game, residents guessed the opposing team’s truths and lies.   
• Environmental: Residents used Mardi Gras beads to create colorful mosaics to repurpose and reduce waste in the city.   
• Physical: To get moving, residents played a life-sized Hungry Hungry Hippos game.   
• Financial: Residents played a physician-themed edition of The Game of Life to learn to manage their money.   
• Occupational: In Who’s That Boss?, residents matched the hobbies and interests of their attending physicians.   
• Intellectual: The teams took the competition outside in the Geri Moulton Children’s Park, where they went on a scavenger hunt.   
• Spiritual: Residents wrote and reflected on their current spiritual needs in a “What’s on Your Heart?” activity.   
• Emotional: The eighth spoke on the wellness wheel was related to resilience, which was discussed, and intertwined with the physical, being impacted by the quality of sleep.   

The retreat, one of the department’s most anticipated events, helps residents connect with each other and learn strategies to prioritize their wellness, while also working to contribute to the well-being of others.