Resident Wellness & Mentorship
Residency is an intense time and UIC FMR provides self management skill support in a multitude of ways. Our residents and faculty spend a lot of time together, so dedicating energy and time to developing strong relationships supports individual wellness and a healthy medical team.
Mentor Program
The goal of the Mentoring Program is to consistently promote the personal and professional development of each resident over the course of the three-year program. To achieve this goal, mentors and residents meet on a regular basis to discuss the resident’s progress in various rotations, clinics, and educational activities, as well as the resident’s well being.
At the beginning of each year, mentors are selected for each resident; every effort is made to accommodate resident preferences. Residents are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the faculty through clinical experiences and by reviewing profiles. Residents are encouraged to schedule brief introductory meetings with faculty whom they would like to get to know better as possible mentors, but with whom their contact is limited.
Meetings between mentors and residents occur quarterly, with more frequent meetings as needed. The “shape” that meetings take will ultimately be determined between the resident and the mentor but might include a general overview of resident status regarding developmental issues (e.g., adjustment to new year), review/summary of evaluations from rotations, discussion of resident’s experience in rotations/clinics, and stress management or personal issues. Mentors are also valuable resources for providing post-residency employment guidance.
R1 Support Group
The intern year presents many unique challenges for residents—for all, adjustment to a new professional life; for some, a new city or a hospital system. On a monthly basis, interns meet our behavioral scientist Dr. Adrienne Williams. Interns are provided the opportunity to discuss issues openly with confidentially, to give and receive support, and to identify strategies for managing the issues that they face.
Inpatient Team Meetings
Dr. Williams, our behavioral scientist, meets weekly with residents on the inpatient service to enhance communication and reduce stress. At the beginning of every month, they meet with the attending physicians from the inpatient team, as well as all residents on the service for that month, to establish protocol and guidelines, and to respond to questions.
Retreats
- An all residency retreat is conducted every summer
- A half day retreat is organized every February
