The Family Experience

Purpose: Despite continued medical student (MS) burnout and dissatisfaction with work–life balance,1 there are few wellness interventions designed to target the unique stressors MSs face. Strong social relatedness is a psychological factor associated with well-being among health care providers,2 and educational interventions designed for providers and their social support networks (e.g., significant others, parents, siblings, close friends) have shown to be effective in improving anesthesiology provider well-being.3,4 We designed a 2-hour, virtual, immersive, family-focused support intervention aimed at improving wellness among third-year MSs and their support networks. Approach: The Family Experience intervention was held in Spring 2021, as third-year MSs began their clerkships. The event included faculty-led didactics on leadership, wellness, and burnout; virtual simulations of MS roles across various rotations (surgery, pediatrics, medicine, obstetrics, psychiatry, and emergency medicine); and a panel of fourth-year MSs and their support persons (SPs). The panel SPs also provided attendees with resources to help MSs cope with work-related stressors. Following the event, attendees had the opportunity to participate in a postintervention survey, which was also used to recruit interview participants. A subset of attendees participated in 30- to 60-minute semistructured interviews. Interviewees answered questions related to their participation in the event and voiced their opinions on the information presented and its utilization. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed for analysis. Following a rapid assessment approach, each interview was analyzed using a summary template developed by the research team.5 Summary templates were then collectively synthesized into a thematic domain matrix, allowing for active and expedited comparative assessment of interview data. Outcomes: Sixty-three people participated in The Family Experience event, including 20 third-year MSs and 43 SPs. Nine individuals were recruited to participate in postintervention interviews (4 MSs and 5 SPs). Interviewees comprised a diverse set of MS-to-SP support structures: MSs interviewed included 2 females (1 single and 1 married) and 2 males (1 single and 1 married with children), while SPs interviewed included 5 females (1 mother; 1 grandmother; 1 aunt; and 2 wives, 1 with children and 1 without). SP interviewees reported that the event improved (1) understanding of clerkship responsibilities, including their ability to visualize experiences discussed by the MS; (2) understanding of MS schedules and the unique impact of clerkships on MS time and availability; and (3) their ability to recognize signs of burnout, including tangible actions to support MS stress reduction. MSs reported that the event (1) helped SPs be more informed listeners, improving communication on the MSs’ work-related issues; (2) provided a foundation for strong MS–SP relations and communication during a uniquely stressful period of medical school; (3) and provided them with reassurance and reduced their anxiety about third-year clerkships. Significance: Qualitative analysis findings suggested improved understanding by SPs regarding clerkship work environments, including the conditions, expectations, and stressors unique to the clerkship experience, and greater ability to handle MS burnout after participating in the event. Additionally, the event highlighted factors that are important in determining the needs of individual MSs: the life stage of the MS at the time of clerkship (e.g., age, family status), if the MS lives with their SP, and the nature of the MS–SP relationship (e.g., parent–child vs spouses). Interventions designed to educate MSs and their social support networks about the unique challenges associated with medical school clerkships may improve wellness among MSs. Medical schools can consider supporting MSs’ social support networks by tailoring resources to meet a variety of MS–SP relationships and dynamics. Acknowledgments: The authors acknowledge the qualitative analysis assistance of the North Carolina Translational and Clinical Sciences (NC TraCS) Institute, which is supported by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), National Institutes of Health, through grant award number UL1TR002489

Burnout · Family medicine · Medical education · Psychological intervention · Social support · Stressor · Clinical Psychology · Diversity and Career in Medicine · Healthcare professionals’ stress and burnout · Innovations in Medical Education · Medicine · Nursing · Psychology · Social Psychology

• Qualitative methods in implementation research

  Open Access•Alison B Hamilton, Alison Brown et al.•Psychiatry Research•2019

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• Burnout Among U.S. Medical Students, Residents, and Early Career Physicians Relative to the General U.S. Population

  Liselotte N Dyrbye, Colin P West et al.•Academic Medicine•2014

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