General Psychiatry Residency Program: Resident Wellness
Our Focus on Wellness
Wellness has different meanings for each resident. With this in mind, our program uses a myriad of methods to foster a culture of connectedness and wellbeing among residents throughout their four years of training. It begins with investment from program leadership. Our Program Director, Dr. Jason Schillerstrom, welcomes ways he can support residents and maintains an open-door policy to discuss any questions, concerns, or issues. He also encourages residents to support each other. The Associate Program Directors are also highly supportive of resident wellness.
Residency Program Evaluation Committee (RPEC) Annual Retreat
The RPEC retreat is two-day residency-wide retreat, usually held at a notable location in San Antonio (Sea World, San Antonio Zoo, The Pearl, etc.) All residents are excused from clinical responsibilities during this time, including call. The focus is to promote a sense of community, team building, and, most importantly, program improvement. Residents discuss challenges in the program and advocate for actionable improvements to create a more fulfilling residency experience. Each year, ideas developed at RPEC translate into meaningful program improvements.
Social Life
Social chairs from the Wellness Committee help to coordinate and plan a wide range of resident-led social events. In addition, there are regularly occuring events, which happen either weekly or monthly. These events help residents to establish a habit of regular wellness activities and self-care. Some of these events have included the following:
- Psychiatry movie nights
- Intramural sports
- Trivia Night at the Flying Saucer
- Journal club
- Book club
- Play dates for residents with children
- Community service projects
- NAMI walks
- Running Club
- Bible Study
- Outdoor Pick-Up Sand Volleyball
- Walking/Unicycling/Longboarding Group
Wellness Tuesdays
On the last Tuesday of every month, part of the didactics and noon conference time is dedicated completely to resident wellness. Residents can usually head straight to their wellness activities and have three to four hours to engage in various “Wellness Interest Groups.” These groups create avenues to interact with peers in a more relaxed environment by bringing together residents with common interests. Most wellness groups have at least 5 members who meet regularly, and many have more. Residents can go to different wellness groups and try them all out or stick with their favorite. There are always opportunities to start new wellness groups as well.
Notable Wellness Interest Groups over the past several years have included:
- Foodie and Gamer Kids
- Spa Relaxation
- Hiking Group
- Art & Lo-Fi
- Mind Body Connections
- Board Games
- Stimulating Conversation
- Pet Parents
Resident Led Committees
A major aspect of resident wellness is the ability to have a voice in the program. Resident-led committees allow residents to participate in program improvement and advocate for residents’ needs. Each committee has a resident chair, resident volunteers, and a faculty supervisor.
Community, Advocacy, and Engagement Committee
The committee works to reduce stigma associated with mental health care in both our medical education spaces and the community, coordinate various advocacy and volunteer opportunities, and engage interest in a career in psychiatry – especially focusing on groups who may be less familiar with psychiatry. Initiatives are often designed to work together with the other wellness committees in efforts to weave these principles into the fabric of our program.
Psychotherapy Committee
This committee works to improve therapy didactics and training experiences based on resident feedback. They also host a therapy book club and help gather and distribute therapy resources.
Education Curriculum Committee
The purpose of this committee is to evaluate and improve our residency’s didactic curriculum and other educational opportunities. The goal is to create a robust academic training that not only aligns with ACGME standards, but is also reflective of the interests of our residents. Committee members also coordinate and participate in medical student education initiatives, promoting interest in careers in psychiatry.
Wellness Committee
This committee develops and oversees multiple resident-led initiatives that focus on improving resident wellness and increasing resident connectedness within the program. This includes planning and organizing activities for Wellness Tuesdays, social events, and reoccurring (monthly or weekly) wellness activities.
Moonlighting
Civilian residents can begin moonlighting as early as the second semester of their PGY2 year. Moonlighting opportunities occur every day of the week and occur at both University Hospital and Clarity Child Guidance Center. Moonlighting provides a robust learning experience in addition to extra money.
Intern Specific Support
Intern Welcome BBQ
At the beginning of each year, our program director, Dr. Schillerstrom, invites all interns, residents, and their families to his house for a welcome to the new academic year. The interns get to meet some of the faculty and other residents while enjoying wonderful home-cooked Texas-style barbecue.
Faculty Mentors
Each intern is paired with a faculty mentor. This is to allow for the intern to feel supported during their transition into residency and to have an avenue to address any questions, concerns, or issues they might have. There is dedicated time at the end of Wellness Tuesdays to allow for the interns and their mentor to meet.
Resident Mentors
Each intern is paired with an upper level as soon as they match to our program. The upper level serves as a great resource early on for questions such as where to live, what to do to prepare for residency, when to take step 3, and more. They continue to provide mentorship as interns progress, providing advice on a variety of topics including academic, personal, and career guidance.
