Objective: To obtain insights into the effects of surgical training on the wellbeing of support persons. Summary Background Data: Surgical trainee wellness is a critical priority among surgical educators and leaders. The impact of surgical training on the wellness of loved ones who support trainees has not been previously studied. Methods: This qualitative study employs semi-structured interviews of 32 support persons of surgical trainees at a single tertiary care center with multiple surgical specialty training programs. Interviews focused on perceptions about supporting a surgical trainee. Transcripts underwent thematic analysis with semantic and conceptual coding. Key themes regarding the effects that caring for a trainee has on support persons are reported.Results: Three key themes were identified: (1) Sacrifices-support persons report significant tangible and intangible sacrifices, (2) Delaying life-life is placed on hold to prioritize training, and (3) A disconnect-there is a disconnect and a lack of recognition of support person needs that require greater awareness and targeted interventions. Conclusions: The impact of surgical training can extend beyond trainees and can affect the wellness of their support persons who endure the effects of training alongside trainees. Programs should be aware of these effects and develop meaningful strategies to aid trainees and their support persons.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had significant ramifications for provider well-being. During these unprecedented and challenging times, one institution's Department of Surgery put in place several important initiatives for promoting the well-being of trainees as they were redeployed to provide care to COVID-19 patients. In this article, the authors describe these initiatives, which fall into 3 broad categories: redeploying faculty and trainees, ensuring provider safety, and promoting trainee wellness. to have a plethora of human resources at their institution that made the significant efforts described in this article possible. The authors want to thank institutional leadership and staff for their important work. They also want to acknowledge departmental and program director leadership of general, vascular, thoracic, oral and maxillofacial, and plastic surgery who provided steadfast support. Finally, the authors want to acknowledge the wonderful leadership of the 2020 general, vascular, thoracic, oral and maxillofacial, and plastic surgery chief residents.
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