We understand the importance of well-being during training and beyond. In order to help our fellows learn professional and personal skills that will keep them engaged and resilient throughout their careers, we offer a variety of well-being activities.
The Pediatric Emergency Medicine Fellowship Program is dedicated to ensuring our fellows maintain a healthy balance between personal well-being and the rigors of professional training by supporting physical, mental, and emotional health.
At the institutional level, we have implemented a self-assessment tool for fellows to monitor their level of stress/burnout. Free, confidential counseling/mental health services are provided to any fellow who feels they are in need.
The fellowship programs at Connecticut Children's also participate in a Reflective Practice and Leadership series, through the Pediatric Subspecialty Fellows' Core Curriculum. This is a longitudinal initiative in which once monthly fellows will meet with a group of facilitators, including faculty mentors to discuss clinical, psycho-social, career, personal, and ethical challenges that they face as professionals. The model is designed to help trainees analyze and manage complex professional problems through collaborative team discussions/mentoring by
faculty and peers.
The Pediatric Subspecialty Fellowship Administrative team seeks to aid fellows in reducing stress in many areas of their program. Recent initiatives include:
- Snack boxes which are restocked regularly to ensure proper nutrition during shifts/rotations
- “Study kit” provided to fellows during board prep. Complete with food, highlighters, comfy socks and more!
- A retreat for all fellows across all 11 pediatric programs, at minimum, once a year during the day, which includes lunch and a team building exercise or activity
The Pediatric Emergency Medicine division and fellowship program strive to foster a strong sense of community within the division. Special events through-out the year, include:
- Annual Off-site faculty/fellow retreat
- Annual division holiday party for faculty, fellows, and ED staff
- Annual division summer picnic at a faculty member's home
- Annual fellowship graduation party at a faculty member's home
- Quarterly fellowship EBM Seminars at faculty members' homes which include dinner
The Pediatric Emergency Medicine Fellowship is relatively small, 2 fellows per year, which has allowed us create a close-knit program. Every Tuesday morning/early afternoon is protected time for division activities and fellow education. This brings the fellows together weekly to allow socializing, information sharing, collaboration, and mentorship among the fellows and faculty. It also allows the program director and coordinator to informally check-in with fellows on a nearly weekly basis outside of the clinical setting.
UConn School of Medicine Graduate Medical Education is committed to supporting the well-being of all our residents and fellows during their training program. For a full list of resources offered through UConn Health, the Capital Area Health Consortium and the broader community, please visit the Graduate Medical Education Office Well-Being website.
