Fitness for Duty/Wellness

A Pulmonary/CC fellow who does not feel fit for duty should consult with their current program director or Employee Health. Additionally, a supervisor who has concerns regarding a fellow’s fitness for duty should also consult with the Program Director and/or Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education.

Emotional exhaustion, sleep deprivation, depersonalization, perceived low personal accomplishment, doubt, guilt, family issues, compulsiveness, dissatisfied patients, and the psychology of postponement (things will get better when…) can impact the balance of body, mind, and spirit for successful fellowship practice.

Physicians often have difficulty accepting help, due to the pressures of perfection that are often part of the intrinsic nature of high achievers. Physicians-in-training might be unable or unwilling to recognize their own state of health.

During the three years of the Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellowship, there might be a time where the fellow may experience fatigue, sleepiness, anxiety, and/or depression. If any of the fellows are having a hard time coping with any of these, whether it is at work or home, the Program Director has an open-door policy and will provide necessary resources to the fellow and their family.

If at any time during a rotation a pulmonary fellow is feeling fatigued due to extended hours at the hospital performing patient care, they are to contact the Program Directors office and coverage will be arranged. If they are unable to safely return home, transportation will be arranged for them. It is essential to the fellow’s health that the Pulmonary and Critical Care fellow strictly adhere to the 80-hour work limit.

Well-Being

Sanvello App (Free)

Sanvello was rated the best stress relief app in 2019. This app provides many self-help tools for stress such as; mediation, guided journeys, ways to reframe your thoughts, tracking your health and daily mood, and also it provides a discussion board where others may add ways they cope with stress by sharing movies or music that may help or sharing stories of the stress in your life.

Headspace ($)

Headspace has hundreds of articles for any mind, any mood, any goal. Headspace includes guided meditation, 40 mindless exercises for cooking, eating, commuting, and more, sleep sounds to ease your mind, and more.

MoodMission App (Free)

MoodMission uses the questionnaire you fill out to help you better cope with your moods. Each day it will ask you how you are feeling and give you 5-10 mission objective options to help improve your mood. Each mission objective gives a section called "why this helps" to show evidence-based research of how they can help improve your mood.

Moodfit App (Free)

Moodfit allows you to create a personalized goal list to improve your mood. The goal options range from mood, exercise, mindfulness exercises, sunlight, gratitude, sleep, nutrition, and socializing. Moodfit will also track how your mood can be positively or negatively affected by your daily goals. The app will also provide tools to boost your mood through breathing techniques, mindfulness audio/readings, gratitude and send you custom inspirational reminders.

Tips for combating stress: foster relationships, involve religion or spirituality, practice self-care physically and psychologically, derive new meaning for work, develop a new approach to life with insight, understanding, and core values.