How We Built and Iteratively Refined a Five-Pillar Surgical Residency Wellness Program.

OBJECTIVE

To describe the development, implementation, and iterative refinement of a comprehensive five-pillar wellness program in a general surgery residency and identify lessons to inform sustainable wellness initiatives in graduate medical education.

DESIGN

Descriptive program evaluation using internal assessment of resident engagement and utilization to guide iterative program improvements.

SETTING AND

PARTICIPANTS

A single academic general surgery residency program.

RESULTS

The wellness program was organized around five pillars: Resident Support, Faculty and Institutional Resources, Wellness Events, Personal Development, and Education & Awareness. Internal assessment demonstrated variable engagement across program components. Peer-based and confidential support services were consistently utilized, while after-hours wellness events and some institutional resources had lower participation despite expressed resident interest. Protected wellness time was inconsistently used because of clinical responsibilities. These findings informed modifications to scheduling, communication strategies, and integration of wellness programming into the clinical workday to improve accessibility and participation.

CONCLUSION

A structured, multifaceted wellness program requires ongoing evaluation and adaptation to meet resident needs. Embedding wellness initiatives within the clinical day and continuously refining programming based on resident feedback may enhance engagement and sustainability. This framework offers a practical model for other surgical residency programs seeking to implement flexible, resident-responsive wellness initiatives.