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Wellness Resources for Medical Staff, Residents and Fellows

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Many medical professionals experience stress on the job that can lead to burnout, whether they’re still in training or managing a busy caseload. At Akron Children’s we are working to address provider burnout and promote the physical and mental well-being of our medical staff, residents and fellows through multiple avenues of support.

This includes creating greater awareness of hospital and other resources that are available to help, reducing the stigma associated with mental health issues, recognizing the enormous pressures medical professionals face, and establishing an environment where they feel supported.

The following crisis hotlines are here to help:

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

Support Hotline (Portage Path Behavioral Health): 330-434-9144

Ohio Crisis Text Line 24/7: Text 4 hope to 741741

Staff support for mental health and well-being

At Akron Children’s, we offer a number of resources to support the mental health and well-being of our medical providers. This includes:

Critical incident stress management

Our critical incident stress management team offers several services in the aftermath of an overwhelming event, such as the death of a patient or a significant traumatic event involving children.

Help is available 24/7 by pager at 330-914-1038.

 

Schwartz Center Rounds

These sessions provide a forum for our clinical staff to explore the emotional and psychosocial dimensions of care. Staff members present on a variety of topics focused on supporting caregivers and strengthening the relationships between patients and their care providers.

 

Chaplaincy services

Along with providing spiritual care to patients and their families, our chaplain is also available to support the spiritual needs of our staff. 

A chaplain can be reached at any time by calling the operator who will page the chaplain on call. During regular office hours, Monday-Friday, you may call 330-543-8254 for non-urgent requests.

 

Employee Assistance Program

Akron Children’s has partnered with the Carebridge Corporation to provide counseling services for personal and family issues, such as marital and relationship issues, alcohol and drug abuse, stress management, family/parenting problems, depression or anxiety, or grief and loss. These confidential services are available to employees and eligible dependents cost-free.

Call 800-437-0911 or e-mail clientservice@carebridge.com.

 

Akron Physician Wellness Initiative

Akron Physician Wellness Initiative (APWI) is a new private entity offering FREE and confidential wellness support services for Akron Children’s residents, fellows, physicians and advanced practice providers. You can find them here.

 

Women Physician Association

Our medical staff female physicians are encouraged to join the Women Physician Association, a group that was formed at Akron Children’s to advocate for the professional development, advancement and well-being of women physicians who are credentialed here.

Find information on myKidsnet or contact Dr. Janice McDaniel at 330-543-8309 or jmcdaniel@akronchildrens.org.

 

Fitness center memberships

Exercise is a great way to promote both physical and mental well-being. To make it easier for our residents and fellows to participate in regular exercise, we provide free memberships to Cleveland Clinic Akron General Health & Wellness Centers in Bath, Green and Stow.

Fitness center discounts are also available for employed members of our medical staff.


Lactation support
We are committed to supporting our breastfeeding trainees by providing several dedicated lactation rooms and a conveniently-located breast milk storage space in the resident work area. Read more about how we support our GME Trainees.

Mental health self-screening tools

Below are anonymous, online self-screening tools that may help determine if you need extra support. These evaluations are free, take just 2-5 minutes to complete and will provide immediate feedback about mental health conditions that may be impacting your well-being. 

Take one of these self-evaluations to determine your current experience regarding:

Please note these tools are educational only to help you evaluate your mental health status. If you feel you need support, please share your results with someone, review the resources offered on this site or reach out to a healthcare professional. A mental health provider can perform a full assessment and offer recommendations that can help you improve your health and well-being. 

Recommended reading to support your well-being

Books

To support our residents and fellows, and the efforts of our GMEC Well-Being Subcommittee, Akron Children’s Medical Staff has purchased the following books, which are available in the Mary A. Hower Medical Library:

  • The Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz
  • The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen Covey
  • The Sleep Revolution by Arianna Huffington
  • Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics: A 10% Happier How to Book by Dan Harris and Jeff Warren with Carlye Adler

Other recommended reading

Personal Development

  • The Working Woman’s GPS: When the Plan to Have it All Has Led You Astray by JJ DiGeronimo
  • Crazy Busy: Overstretched, Overbooked, and About to Snap! Strategies for Handling Your Faced-Paced Life by Edward Hallowell
  • How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
  • Through the Labyrinth by Alice Eagly and Linda Carli
  • The Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander
  • Happier by Tal Ben-Shahar, PhD
  • Secrets of Successful Speakers by Lilly Walters
  • Positivity by Barbara Fredrickson
  • Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain
  • Off Balance by Matthew Kelly
  • The Dream Manager by Matthew Kelly
  • The Rhythm of Life by Matthew Kelly
  • Perfectly Yourself: 9 Lessons for Enduring Happiness by Matthew Kelly
  • The Seven Levels of Intimacy: The Art of Loving and the Joy of Being Loved by Matthew Kelly
  • Find Your Strongest Life by Marcus Buckingham
  • The One Thing You Need to Know by Marcus Buckingham
  • Mindfulness: Be Mindful. Live in the Moment by Gill Hasson
  • Unfinished Business by Anne-Marie Slaughter
  • How to Have a Good Day by Caroline Webb
  • Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin
  • Fully Present by Susan Smalley, PhD
  • Appreciative Inquiry by David Cooperrider and Diana Whitney
  • Smarter Faster Better by Charles Duhigg
  • Stop Stress This Minute by Jim Porter (Wellness Council of America)
  • Grit by Angela Duckworth
  • Resilience: Hard-Won Wisdom for Living a Better Life by Eric Greitens
  • Grit to Great by Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval
  • The Power of Nice by Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval
  • The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
  • Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck
  • Shift Into Thrive by Lynn Schmidt, PhD, and Kevin Nourse, PhD
  • Change Your Questions, Change Your Life by Marilee Adams, PhD
  • The Five Love Languages by Garry Chapman
  • The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion by Christopher Germer
  • Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
  • The How of Happiness: A New Approach to Getting the Life You Want by Sonja Lyubomirsky
  • Into the Magic Shop: A Neurosurgeon’s Quest to Discover the Mysteries of the Brain and the Secrets of the Heart by James Doty, MD
  • The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment by Eckhart Tolle
  • The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life by David Brooks

 

Physician Wellness

  • Medical Professionalism Best Practices: Addressing Burnout and Resilience in Our Profession edited by Richard L. Byyny, MD, FACP; Richard Byyny, MD; Sean Christensen, MD, and Jonathan Fish, MD (2020 Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society)
  • Physician Wellness: The Rock Star Doctor’s Guide: Change Your Thinking, Improve Your Life by Rebekah Benard, MD, and Steven Cohen, PhD
  • Remedy for Burnout: 7 Prescriptions Doctors Use to Find Meaning in Medicine by Starla Fitch, MD
  • Preventing Physician Burnout: Curing the Chaos and Returning Joy to the Practice of Medicine by Paul Dechant, MD, MBA, and Diane Shannon, MD, MPH
  • Stop Physician Burnout: What to Do When Working Harder Isn't Working by Dike Drummond
  • Irondoc: Practical Stress Management Tools for Physicians by Mamta Gautam

 

Articles

 

Web-based and mobile applications

Several web-based resources and mobile applications are available to help you manage stress and enhance wellness.

Online resources

Evidence-based, free Online Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program (Palouse Mindfulness)

Dr. Stacia Dearmin’s blog on thriving despite adverse patient outcomes and medical practice litigation

TED Talk: How To Make Stress Your Friend - Psychologist Kelly McGonigal

Addressing Wellness in Residency: Ready, Set, Go! (NEJM Resident 360)

Well-being and burnout (American Psychiatric Association)

Physician Well-being Resource Center (Free resources from the Ohio State Medical Association)

Apps

Sleep, relaxation and meditation

Depression

 

Suicide prevention

ACGME New Suite of Well-Being Resources

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) has launched the AWARE suite of well-being resources. This collection of resources is available in multiple media formats, including an AWARE app and podcasts. These resources are designed to promote wellness among residents, fellows, faculty members and others in the graduate medical education community.

To access, visit the ACGME website.

Free wellness apps in response to COVID-19

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the following wellness resources are available for free for a limited time to healthcare providers:

Coronavirus Sanity Guide

Ten Percent Happiness App

Down Dog Yoga App

Headspace App – Weathering the Storm

GMEC Well-Being Subcommittee

Our GMEC Well-Being Subcommittee was formed to improve and promote the well-being of our pediatric residents and fellows. Guided by our strategic plan, the subcommittee has identified the following goals:

  • Increase awareness of burnout symptoms and resilience-building strategies
  • Break the stigma of seeking mental health care and promote treatment
  • Ascertain what our pediatric residents and fellows want and need
  • Increase awareness of available resources
  • Increase social connections between our residents and fellows
  • Support the wellness committee and associated events

Chair: Sumru Bilge-Johnson, MD
Co-Chair: Abbey Parris, MAEd, Designated Institutional Officer

Members:

The following crisis hotlines are here to help:

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

Support Hotline (Portage Path Behavioral Health): 330-434-9144

Ohio Crisis Text Line 24/7: Text 4 hope to 741741

Contact us

For questions, comments or feedback:

Send us your questions, concerns or feedback anonymously online 

 

GMEC Well-Being Subcommittee

Chair: Sumru Bilge-Johnson, MD, at 330-543-4382 or sbilge-johnson@akronchildrens.org
Co-Chair: Abbey Parris, MAEd, at 330-543-8693 or aparris@akronchildrens.org

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About Akron Children's

While we are ranked among the best children's hospitals in the country, it's our compassionate approach to treatment that makes us truly exceptional. Through a combination of revolutionary treatments and extraordinary patient experiences, our care does more than heal. It brings the entire family together for emotional support and understanding across multiple locations to reach you in the community where you live. Learn more...

Akron Children's Hospital
One Perkins Square, Akron, Ohio 44308-1062
330-543-1000 • webmaster@akronchildrens.org
An Equal Opportunity Employer
Copyright © 2020, Akron Children's Hospital. All Rights Reserved.
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