Individual resilience strategy

Ideas for how to expand systemically to bring about greater and more sustainable change

Attend to basic needs

– Standardized break times to hydrate and refuel

– Increased cafeteria and vendor hours, access to healthier food choices

– On-site access to exercise space and equipment

– Formal wellness programs, which may include teaching on health and fitness and breaks to engage in exercise

– Duty hour/overnight hour restrictions, where feasible

– Ability to split shifts with colleagues

– Protected downtime before calls to rest

– Blackout periods on overnight calls

– Use of physician extenders for overnight duties

Break away from stress

– Increased recognition and rewarding of efforts

– Flexibility to adapt practice and schedule to personal needs, interests, and fit

– Access to confidential formal supports and care

– Formalized wellness curriculum in medical training and residency to teach how to address stress in medicine

– Modeling of adaptive coping strategies by leaders

Cultivate connectedness and compassion

– Access to and protected time for learners and staff to engage in peer support or structured groups and rounds

– Normalized debriefing after a critical incident or adverse event

– Support training of health-care providers to serve as group facilitators or peer mentors

– Comfortable and private common rooms or break areas for learners and physicians

– Increased team-building exercises and social events

– Greater use of team-based models of care, recognition of effective teamwork