Resident wellness: institutional trends over 10 years since 2003

BACKGROUND: The surveys in this study were carried out at the Graduate Medical Education Division at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU). OHSU implemented two significant wellness initiatives: a wellness program in 2004, and a policy allowing 4 half-days off each academic year to pursue personal or family health care needs in 2010. This study provides a secondary data analysis of five cross-sectional surveys of career satisfaction of resident and fellow trainees. METHODS: All trainees were surveyed five times over a 10-year period using anonymous, cross-sectional web-based survey instruments. Surveys included questions about career satisfaction, perceived stress, sleep hours, burnout, and related factors. RESULTS: This represents 10 years of accumulated responses from over 2,200 residents with results showing continual improvement in their career satisfaction. Response rates ranged from 56% to 72%. During the study period, there was a significant positive change in overall resident career satisfaction, with little change in factors traditionally considered to be predictive of overall career satisfaction such as sleep hours or perceived stress level. In addition, our data support that availability of time for personal tasks could positively impact the overall training experience. CONCLUSION: We postulate that the improvements in satisfaction relate to two major institutional innovations designed to promote resident wellness.