Wellness for GME Trainees
Training to become a physician can be highly challenging and stressful, and it can have a negative effect on trainees’ overall health.
Issues affecting trainees can include:
- Depression
- Burnout
- Suicide
- Grappling with death/dying
- Social or familial isolation
- Pressure to exhibit a healthy appearance when there might be a problem
UT Southwestern understands the pressure and stresses common to the path of becoming a physician, and our Wellness Program focuses on trainees’ total health.
Total health includes:
- Eating heathy foods on a regular schedule
- Daily exercise
- Mindfulness
- Meditation
- Sleep
- Self-compassion
- Maintaining social and family contact and relationships
- Being aware of wellness (well-being)
- Recognizing challenges, both professional and personal
- Voicing concerns
- Stress management
- Asking for help
Resident Wellness and Counseling Center
The UT Southwestern Resident Wellness and Counseling Center (RWAC) is committed to the holistic well-being of our residents and fellows. RWAC helps with issues such as burnout, dealing with complex mental health conditions, or learning better test-taking strategies, to name just a few. The center is a valuable resource for our residents and fellows.
Services
- Behavioral Health
- Individual psychotherapy
- Couples therapy
- Medication management
- EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) therapy
- After-hours crisis support
- Academic Evaluation, Preparation, and Optimization
- Learning differences evaluations
- Standardized test preparation
- Study skills optimization
- Wellness Opportunities
- Mindfulness training
- Wellness activities (organized by our Wellness Coordinator)
- Group fitness classes [such as high-intensity interval training (HIIT), weight training, yoga]
Values
- Multicultural Mission
We accept and appreciate all differences among people, including those of national origin, race, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, ethnicity, functional ability, socioeconomic status, age, and religious affiliation. We believe that valuing intersectional cultural diversity honors each individual’s unique experiences, while also enhancing the quality of life on our campus, our communities, and the world.
- Privacy and Confidentiality
All office visits in Resident Wellness and Counseling are confidential and protected by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
RWAC providers do NOT report to your program directors, the Texas Board of Medical Examiners, or UT Southwestern’s physician monitoring board without your express permission.
We also provide department-level support and education about physician wellness, work-life integration, burnout, and mental health. Our aim is to decrease stigma and build a culture of wellness and mutual care for each other.
Wellness Resources
At UT Southwestern, we want to enhance the meaning that each resident/fellow finds in the experience of being a physician and to maximize wellness and well-being among all our residents, fellows, faculty, and staff. We hope the wellness resources listed on our website will be helpful as you progress through your training.
General Wellness Behavioral Health Self-help Apps Self-screening Tools
