AHN St. Vincent's - Emergency Medicine Residency - Bowling Night - 02.28.24

Emergency Medicine Residents struck out together for a night of bowling at the Millcreek Mall in Erie PA. The group enjoyed the ability to unwind...

.... and focus on friendship and fun. The night was far from a gutter ball.

1. What was the general understanding of the purpose of the project/program by participants?
The residents were eager to participate in this wellness activity. It was scheduled following our ITE so it also served as a reward for all of their studying and hard work preparing for the exam. The residents viewed it as an opportunity for all of us to come together in an environment outside of the hospital. We utilized the time together to strengthen our relationships and address burnout within our specialty.

2.Why did you choose the specific wellness project/activity?
We chose this wellness project to address burnout and tools we can use to help with depression and anxiety. Bowling is a fun activity and leaves time for discussion of these topics.

3. During the project/program, what tangible tools or strategies were demonstrated or taught to address wellness and life balance?
Some of the tools and strategies that were discussed were related to recognizing feelings of burnout and work through these emotions. The most important thing that we learned from this project was that we are not alone in these feelings. We discovered that each of us has struggled with feeling overwhelmed at work. We learned to lean on your colleagues, friends, and family. Other strategies that were discussed were finding healthy coping mechanisms, whether that be exercising, meditating, or watching a reality TV show. Finding whatever way to relax after shift is super important.

4. 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?
Due to this wellness event, we learned how to recognize feelings of burnout, depression, and anxiety. We came to an understanding that we aren’t alone in feeling these emotions. It improved our team dynamics and we intend to lean on each more during residency. We also discussed various coping mechanisms that we will also utilize during these stressful times.

5.What can POMA do to address wellness and life balance for your future?
We are very appreciative of POMA and their ability to help residents fund wellness projects. These are great opportunities to get together, have a good time, and discuss wellness topics that are impacting us or will impact our future. In the future, it would be great to hear from physicians in various stages of their career discuss burnout. Either at a forum or holding a wellness weekend course/retreat that offers expertise from guest speakers