Preventing resident burnout: Mayo Clinic takes unique approach

A cardiology fellow at the Mayo School of Graduate Medical Education at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla., launched a program-wide wellness initiative that helps physicians in training reduce stress and prevent burnout through activities not usually associated with medicine. It started with one fellow’s idea When cardiology fellow Olufunso Odunukan, MBBS, took a year off between residency and fellowship, he signed up for ballroom dancing classes once a week while working as a hospitalist. He found it was a great way to reduce stress. When he jumped back into the learning environment for his fellowship at the Mayo School of Graduate Medical Education at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla., Dr. Odunukan looked at the medical literature to find ways to combat burnout during training. While he found plenty of research on the extent of burnout, there was frustratingly little written about how to intervene and prevent burnout. “Then an epiphany came when I volunteered with a heart failure support group,” Dr. Odunukan said. “It wasn’t all lectures. … They had an instructor who taught people how to paint or make origami boxes. I had no background in either, but in 10 minutes I made the most beautiful box, and I had a sense of accomplishment.” It left Dr. Odunukan wondering if this approach would help physicians in training lower their stress as well. So he tested his theory. Can arts and meditation reduce stress? Dr. Odunukan created a pilot project that rev...
Source: AMA Wire - Category: Journals (General) Authors: Source Type: news