Reading Hospital Tower Health Internal Medicine- Multicultural Day - May 27, 2023

Residents come from all walks of life and backgrounds. Learning and experiences others cultures is essential to expanding ones understanding of people. The Reading Hospital Internal medicine took their own personal backgrounds and ....

...shared them with their colleagues. The participants shared food, dance, music and stories. Each experience making them a more well-rounded and culturally astute person.

1. What was the general understanding of the purpose of the project/program by participants?

The overall purpose of the Multicultural Day was to promote personal wellbeing and provide an opportunity for residents to share cultural food and traditions with their colleagues and friends. It provided a safe spot to share their personal stories and experiences that made them who they are today.

2. During the project/program, what tangible tools or strategies were demonstrated or taught (i.e, coping skills for wellness and life balance?)

The Multicultural Day event taught us how to manage the work/life balance. While working is a very important aspect of our lives, so is our family and culture. During a time of work, we were able to put on event that showcased our diversity to friends and family.

3. What word(s) best describes how you feel when you are experiencing stress or well-being imbalance?

The top 5 answers from our resident survey: burnout, fatigued, overwhelmed, stressed, pressured.

4. What suggestions do you have to increase the probability of success for the project/program for other institutions?

We encourage all residencies to prioritize resident wellbeing. Other institutions may be able to increase the probability of success by opening the event to everyone involved in the residency program, including: current residents, graduated residents still working at the same institution, attendings (faculty and non-faculty), staff, and all families. The more open and inclusive the event is, the more likely for success of this event and for future events.

5.What do you intend to do, upon returning to work, that you learned and practiced during the activity, that will improve your response to stressful situations.

The multicultural day event gave us an opportunity to learn about each cultures and meet each other’s families. Now we can bond over new favorite foods and music choices!