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EM Wellness Initiatives: Oregon Health & Science University
The RAMS Wellness Committee, in conjunction with the SAEM Wellness Committee, will be highlighting wellness initiatives from emergency medicine (EM) programs around the country in a recurring wellness section of SAEM Pulse. Our hope is that this section will share ideas on EM-led wellness initiatives and continue emphasizing the importance of these activities for residents and medical students. For this issue, we talked to Ethan Kimball, DO, First Tuesday lead team member; Cam Upchurch, MD, chief resident; Ryanne Mayersak, MD, associate program director and director for resident wellness; and David Jones, MD, program director in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU).
What is a unique wellness initiative that your program has for its residents? Or what wellness initiative at your program are you most proud of?
Our residency provides many avenues to maintain wellness and an overall work-life balance. We call one of our best events “First Tuesday,” which provides four hours of protected time on the first Tuesday evening of every month. This resident led initiative focuses on wellness, education, interests, and meeting the needs of our residents. The topics for First Tuesday span landmark journal article reviews, complex cases managed in our emergency department, intriguing guest speakers, as well as fun bonding/ wellness activities. Prior to COVID, we would meet in person at a local venue for food, socializing, and the scheduled event. Since COVID began, we the event has largely been virtual with a few outdoor, in-person events when it has been deemed safe. Some of our recent in-person events have included renting boats on the Willamette River and Journal club in the park. With the emergence of the Delta variant, we returned to our virtual format but have maintained wellness through games such as trivia.
What aspect of resident life at your program do you think has the biggest positive impact on residents?
Portland as a city offers many fun activities to allow for an appropriate work-life balance. Our city has many restaurants, bars, theaters, and sporting venues and attracts national musicians, comedians, and other performers. Additionally, Portland has invested in its parks and natural forests. This investment offers miles of local hikes and a plethora of picnic areas in addition to many public basketball and tennis courts, soccer fields, and more. Portland is ideally located so that a day trip to the coast for a beach day or to Mt. Hood for year-round snow sports is possible. On-campus, OHSU has a student center with a basketball court, gym, and swimming pool that all residents have access to. Most importantly, our scheduling allows our residents to take advantage of these local treasures. Our emergency department uses seven-, eight-, and nine-hour shifts, allowing for time before or after a shift to enjoy all the above.
What diversity and inclusion wellness initiatives does your program have?
As aforementioned, First Tuesday is protected time that covers a wide scope of topics for our residents, faculty, and staff. After our country
witnessed the death of George Floyd and racial tensions were at their peak, we wanted to have an open, reflective, and nonconfrontational discussion about race and its impact on our society and in health care. To accomplish this, we held a book club and selected “So You Want to Talk About Race” by Ijeoma Oluo. This event was open to students, residents, faculty, nursing, and other emergency department staff, and sparked a helpful dialogue within our community. This past year we used this time to discuss transgender care in the emergency department, with many speakers from the transgender community, so that we could reflect on their perspectives of emergency care.
Having this protected time available for a broad range of topics has allowed us to tailor not only to the needs of our residents but the needs of our community. Through these and other discussions, we seek to continue to promote a diversity of thoughts, ideas, and social interactions.
What aspect of wellness do you think the emergency medicine community should focus on more?
Wellness is an essential aspect of every person’s life and work-life balance. We know that emergency medicine, and residency in general, is demanding, exhausting, and sometimes feels as if we are just hanging on by a thread. During the past two years, COVID has caused many additional stressors to our lives both inside and outside of work; it is of great importance that we acknowledge these stressors and do our best to combat them. The term “wellness” has emerged as an antidote to stress, fatigue, and burnout. It is critical that we understand what wellness means to each individual and that it is different for each person. Although having the occasional fun social activity is great for relaxation, team building, and developing a sense of community, it is important that we treat these underlying stressors like the chronic problem they are.
Does your program have ideas or plans for future wellness initiatives?
We plan to have in-person participation for our First Tuesday events, as well as for some elements of our weekly didactic sessions. Didactics will be dedicated toward wellness and jobs for which we’ll have talks about healthy careers, sleep, and finances, among other things. Our program also has monthly “Leadership Lunches” where residents and faculty get together after our educational conference to promote community and conversation over good food.
“I have found that organized wellness activities have been incredibly enjoyable and irreplaceable for establishing a sense of community and belonging; however, it’s my daily and weekly routines that allow me to maintain a well-balanced mindset and start each shift with a sense of enjoyment and excitement. I urge our community to remember that wellness is not a single event but rather multiple daily decisions that develop a well-balanced lifestyle.” —Ethan Kimball, DO, PGY-2
