Your Well-Being
We recognize the challenges of our profession and further appreciate the rigors of post-graduate training. While we have designed the program to foster work-life balance, we know there will be ups and downs and, thus, encourage you to reach out to those you trust (family, friends, peers, program leadership, etc.) in addition to utilizing the following tools to help promote both resilience and wellness.
WiRL (Women in Residency Life)
SUNY Upstate Women in Residency Life (WiRL) is a group created for women to increase productivity, collaboration, and comradery and expand networking in order to advance their careers amidst everyday challenges. Dr. Goodman and Dr. Suhail discovered their joint passion for the difficulties faced by women in medicine and spearheaded WiRL. WiRL serves as a support system for women in residency and encourages stimulating yet tough, conversations pertaining to women’s experiences within the medical community and at home. Additionally, WiRL strives to give back to the surrounding community by serving as mentors to the youth. We hope to raise awareness, provide support, and grow as a community.
Annual Picnic
The Department of Medicine welcomes the new residents and their families in the summer, inviting them to a social picnic at a local picnic venue. This provides an opportunity for the newly arriving families to get to know each other.
Annual Cultural Event
Every February, the residency program holds a cultural event to perform and inspire not only the residency, but fellows, administration, hospitalist, families, and more. Each year gets better and better. There were all types of performances, from singing, dancing, and playing instruments to spoken word and group acts. The event is held in the NAB with plenty of food, drinks, and great entertainment.
Wellness Apps
Sanvello App (Free)
Sanvello was rated the best stress relief app in 2019. This app provides many self-help tools for stress, such as meditation, 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 ($)
Headspace has hundreds of articles for any mind, any mood, and any goal. Headspace includes guided meditation, 40 mindless exercises for cooking, eating, commuting and more, sleep sounds to ease your mind, and more.
MoodMission App (Free)
MoodMission uses the questionnaire you fill out to help you better cope with your moods. Each day, it will ask you how you are feeling and give you 5-10 mission objective options to help improve your mood. Each mission objective gives a section called "why this helps" to show evidence-based research of how they can help improve your mood.
Moodfit App (Free)
Moodfit allows you to create a personalized goal list to improve your mood. The goal options range from mood, exercise, mindfulness exercises, sunlight, gratitude, sleep, nutrition, and socializing. Moodfit will also track how your mood can be positively or negatively affected by your daily goals. The app will also provide tools to boost your mood through breathing techniques, mindfulness audio/readings, and gratitude, and send you custom inspirational reminders.
Talkspace App ($)
For many, it can be difficult to fit in time to meet with a therapist, or some can even be embarrassed about it. Talkspace allows you to text, audio messages or even videochat. It can be intimidating to discuss your issues with someone you have never met before, and being able to text can help you be more relaxed. Talkspace has over 5,000 licensed therapists. After signing up, Talkspace will match you with a therapist that you will work with every time.
Employee Assistance Program (Free)
SUNY Upstate Medical University has an Employee Assistance Program to offer help from a professional and confidential source for people going through a personal struggle, problem, or concern. Reach out to the EAP office at (315) 464-5760 for more information.
Resident and Fellow Counseling Services and the CNYMIPS Peer Support Program (Free)
SUNY Upstate is committed to offering its residents and fellows the resources needed to manage stress in challenging times. If a resident/fellow feels they need this service, they can call or text to schedule an initial appointment with a licensed mental health provider. These services provide psychotherapy and medication management options. One call, no hassle, no red tape! Click here to learn more.
Hope for Bereaved (Free)
There are many support groups through Hope for Bereaved in CNY to help through different types of grief and loss. The organization was set up for people who are going through similar experiences to share their stories and how they can go from grief to hope. For more information or to find a group that best fits you, go to Hope for Bereaved.