Burnout, stress, and fatigue are often seen as "inevitable" parts of residency training.
But what if we stopped treating well-being as a luxury, and instead recognized it as a requirement for excellence in training and patient care?
From my years of experience, I've seen how accreditation strongly emphasizes duty hours, case logs, and milestones. Yet well-being metrics are often undervalued. Many residents achieve their technical competencies while silently struggling with emotional exhaustion.
The ACGME has acknowledged this gap by embedding physician well-being as a core element of the Common Program Requirements. From access to counseling services, to fatigue-mitigation strategies, to faculty role modeling; the message is clear:
Resident well-being is essential for high-quality education and patient safety.
Even simple shifts can make a difference: providing confidential and affordable access to mental health support, protecting time for reflection, and integrating wellness objectives directly into curricula. These small changes can transform not only how residents feel, but also how they learn, teach, and care for patients.
I'd love to hear from colleagues in medical education and healthcare leadership:
How do you integrate resident well-being into training? Is it tracked, taught, or still overlooked?
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Nourhane Nasser
Senior GME Coordinator
*Nonmember Institution
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