Wellness Opportunities for Faculty, Staff and Trainees

Department of Surgery Personal Development and Wellbeing Program Catalyzes Change

The Department of Surgery is committed to improving the wellness of residents, faculty and staff. It's been three years since the department created the space for a department-wide Personal Development and Wellbeing Program and named Andrea Abbott, M.D., MSCR, the vice chair. The new initiative aimed to develop a cohesive culture where we support each other.

As the initiative rolled out once the COVID mask mandates were lifted in 2021, Abbott and her committee focused on creating fun, engaging social events and finding ways to reduce stress during the work week. “It’s not just about hosting events,” she said. “It’s about building a culture that supports each other, thereby reducing burnout.” Three years later, the program has grown to catalyze the changes in our department that she envisioned. She said the momentum is on the upswing. Several events were very popular this year, including paintball, bonfires, and a harbor cruise. Abbott notes that not only has attendance increased, but because of the camaraderie generated during events, smaller groups are also getting together to socialize.

Additionally, Dr. Abbott is also part of an active and dedicated Wellness Group for residents. The group welcomes members from all PGY classes. They work as a liaison, voicing resident concerns and securing Department funds and creative solutions to meet the wellness needs of our residents. Biannual surveys evaluate for burnout and wellness among residents so that timely improvement and initiatives can be enacted.

Early Career Faculty Development Program Helps Younger Faculty Navigate their Careers

This spring, the department held an Early Career Faculty Development Program led by Andrea Abbott, M.D., and Jean Marie Ruddy, M.D. The program was for early career faculty within five years of their practice. Over three days, invited speakers discussed topics relevant to building a career in academic medicine. Topics covered were how to build a productive clinical practice, develop a research portfolio, and enhance their academic reputation at a state and national level through surgical societies. Each day ended with an open forum for discussion and exchange of ideas and advice.

Department of Surgery Wellness Forum

MUSC Department of Surgery faculty and residents are encouraged to attend the Monthly Wellness Forum on Teams (Net ID required). The meeting occurs on the first Tuesday of the month from 4 - 4:30 p.m. The wellness committee, spearheaded by Drs. Quinn, Siegel and Abbott, welcome new ideas and ways to improve.

Office of Health Promotion

Guided by the MUSC mission, the Office of Health Promotion (OHP) leads an interdisciplinary effort through collaborative action to increase individual and collective health and well-being at MUSC and in the communities we serve. Our team is available to present on a wide range of wellness and healthy lifestyle topics and can help promote wellness events on and off campus. For more information email us at musc-empwell@musc.edu. As a designated Center of Excellence by the South Carolina Hospital Association's Working Well Initiative, the MUSC Office of Health Promotion provides leadership in our community and across the state to create healthy workplace environments, positively impacting the health and wellness of our state's workforce.

Physical Fitness Across Campus: Through our participation in the SC Working Well program, MUSC Office of Health Promotion has been working to establishing a culture of wellness where being active is the norm by providing access and opportunity for physical activity during the workday. There are many opportunities to move during the work day, including taking advantage of Holy Spokes Bike Share, the MUSC Medical Mile, Indoor Wellness Walk, MUSC Fitness Park, and joining the Wellness Center and take advantage of their employee-only express membership.

Emotional Health is just as important as nutrition and physical activity, and fulfillment in your emotional health contributes to a satisfying and successful life. Check out the list of services that MUSC offers for your emotional health and that of your loved ones.

The College of Medicine Wellness Program

The Student Wellness Program for the MUSC College of Medicine exists to cultivate a culture of wellness and increase student’s productivity by empowering individuals to be self-managers of their health. Our program is designed to promote the well-being and resiliency of our medical students.

The College of Medicine takes pride in its identity as a school focused on the individual learning experience and the well-being of its students. The curriculum is rigorous and demanding, and students must work very hard to meet all standards. Providing excellent student support is imperative and is realized through the work of many College of Medicine administrators, faculty, and deeply committed student wellness leaders who strive to prioritize meeting the needs of students.

Pelotons to Improve Resident and Faculty Wellness

The Department of Surgery is committed to improving the wellness of our faculty and trainees. MUSC has an active and dedicated Wellness Group, led by faculty sponsor Andrea Abbott, M.D. MSCR, Vice-Chair of Personal Development and Well-being. Dr. Abbott is an advocate for resident-driven wellness initiatives and in her new role as Vice-Chair she will be expanding her efforts to include faculty and staff wellness.

The Wellness Group conducts surveys and provides open forums, so trainees have an opportunity to have their voices heard. One prevalent theme trainees expressed was lack of time and access to physical fitness opportunities. A solution was to provide a gym experience through purchasing Peloton bikes for the Clinical Science and Ashley River Tower resident call spaces. By using the bikes while on call or during a few spare moments of downtime during the day, residents, fellows and faculty can improve their physical and mental health resiliency.

“Dr. Streck, who serves as the General Surgery Program Director, is a big Peloton fan,” said Kristen Quinn, M.D., PGY-research and wellness group committee member. “He thought it would be a great resource for a health and wellness opportunity because it’s not just a bike – there are coaches, trainings, and classes for whatever amount of time you have, which can create an exercise environment that is more engaging and motivating.”

Quinn explains the committee is also incorporating an education research component into this initiative. The committee will conduct a pre-intervention survey for trainees using Peloton’s physical health metric form, and will track progress over time. All data collected for the study is anonymous, and residents and fellows are not required to enroll in the survey. Regardless of survey status, participants will have access to their Peloton physical health information so they can track their progress.

“Once the bikes are set up, we’ll start some friendly competitions, too,” she added. “We are entertaining the idea of competitions between the two hospitals or between PGY classes, and we are hearing the attendings are jealous and hope to line up some competitions and challenges to see who can top the leaderboard!”