Resident Wellness
The Wellness Initiative for the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation is currently coordinated by Dr. Courtney Stefanski. The program was originally developed by Dr. Chirag Shah, former Program Director, who was a champion for resident wellness. The program is composed of
To supplement the above resources and encourage residents to be aware and acknowledge the importance of their well-being, we have instituted the following Departmental Initiatives:
- Residents can self-identify as having wellness or fatigue issue to automatically allow them to be free of clinical duties to seek necessary treatment (i.e. respite, counseling, etc)
- Quarterly Meeting with Dr. Stefanski to discuss current feelings of fatigue, work-life balance, social stressors, etc
- Bi-Yearly Meeting with Faculty Mentor
- Quarterly Resident Dinners - The program is spearheaded by our Resident Wellness Chair and Social Chair. The Senor Residents create an open forum to talk about work and life stressors to come up with solutions to be presented to the Program Leadership. The hope is that the retreats strengthen the bonds amongst the residents and create program improvements
- Snacks and Drinks in the Resident Room provided by the department at all times!
- $20 per diem for each 12-hour shift on the Weekend
- Access to the Center for Clinical Wellness (located on Campus)
- Free 24/7 Counseling Services via the Rush Center for Clinical Wellness with videoconferencing available on mobile devices
- Self-Care Video Series
- Professional and personal development through “Skillbuilders” — free 30-45 minute online tutorials that address numerous topics including Emotional Wellbeing, Achieving Personal Goals, Managing Stress, Time Management, The Power of Resilience, etc
- Online resources for self-care, stress management, mindfulness, physical activity, and mental health
- Well-Being Coaches
- Mini-Wellness Retreats - spend 60 minutes at the Center of Clinical Wellness to enhance your well-being through special, targeting experience (including access to Energy Pod)
- 2 month Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program (with Patty Normand)
- Health and Wellness Programs
- Pre-screened services for child and elder care, legal support, and financial planning
- Access to Fitness Center
- Weekends are typically free of clinical duties other than a few call weekends to cover Acute Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit. Calls decrease in frequent as you progress through the program
- 4 weeks of vacation (20 weekdays) - residents are allowed to schedule FOUR one-week vacation block anytime of the year that best suits their needs. If needed, residents can split up the one-week vacation block to accommodate attending multiple weddings, family events, etc
- Additional 8 days can be used as needed for sickness, wellness, family emergency, attending conferences, and work/fellowship interviews
Once a year, the program sponsors a resident retreat that occurs over a weekend. All residents are free of clinical duty with clinical coverage provided by the attending physicians. The retreat is typically completed in the Fall to welcome the new Residents into the Rush PM&R family. Similar to the quarterly dinners, the residents take the opportunities to discuss work and life stressors to come up with solutions to be presented to the Program Leadership.