The mission of the UTMB Pediatrics Wellbeing Committee is to enhance organizational health by fostering interest and encouraging residents to initiate or expand healthier lifestyles, provide diverse wellness programs to meet a wide range of personal health needs, recognize residents for participating in healthier lifestyles activities, decrease absenteeism due to illness and stress, and develop a positive culture that is focused on celebrating and improving the quality of life for all residents.
Resident Wellbeing is a principle at the forefront of our
program. We aim to foster a supportive learning environment, provide seminars
related to self-care topics, and organize group activities to enhance the
well-being of our trainees.
The resident wellbeing committee was assembled in 2020 to
provide resident-driven ideas to enhance the overall well-being of our
residents. Follow the department on Facebook and the program on
Instagram to see what we are doing!
Self-Care topics reviewed yearly include stress management, time management, shame resilience, self-compassion, empathy, sleep and fatigue, mindfulness, emotional intelligence, incivility and bullying, and positive psychology. These topics are universal to all UTMB Residency Programs. See the UTMB GME Wellbeing page for other institutional-sponsored activities.
Program Group Activities
- Intern Welcome Dinner
- Halloween Pumpkin Carving
- Thanksgiving Potluck
- Christmas Tree Decorating/Holiday Party
- House Retreats
- Program-Wide Retreat
- Chief’s Monthly Happy Hour
- Generation Cup Challenge
- Graduation Banquet
Resident Houses
Houses were created to promote camaraderie and connection within the resident body. Houses are named after prominent faculty members past and present in the department. Interns are sorted into a house yearly. Houses participate in activities to earn points toward the
House Cup Trophy at the end of the year! The Inaugural 2022 House Cup Winner was the House of Daeschner!
- House of Cooke. Henry Pendleton Cooke, MD was the first professor of Pediatrics/Dean of Medicine (1898-1901) and Galveston City Health Officer (1886-1890, 1917-1919). House Traits are Heroism, Leadership, and Promptness.
- House of Daeschner. William Daeschner, MD was Department Chair (1961-1989) and ABP President (1974-1975). He organized the department into divisions. House Traits are: Humble, Personable, and Warmth.
- House of Lockhart. Lillian Lockhart, MD was the Director of the Division of Genetics (1964-2020) and one of the first female geneticists to teach at a university. She also analyzed the chromosomes of astronauts who returned from space. House Traits are: Resourceful, Trailblazer, and Balance.
- House of Robinson Sally Robinson, MD currently has over 55 years of Service to UTMB. She started the Complex Care Clinic and is the author of the weekly article “Keeping Kids Healthy” in the Galveston Daily News. House Traits are: Compassion, Calmness, and Dedication.
- House of Bly Keith Bly, MD was the Pediatric Program Director (2013-2015) and he was the Rainbow Connection Camp Medical Director for 10 years. House Traits are: Fun, Empathy, and Uniqueness.
Mentoring
The program offers intern mentoring by upper levels with our resident buddy system. Faculty advisors are also paired with each resident to meet at least every 6 months to discuss resident and career goals.
Wellbeing Half-Days
Residents are provided 4 well-being half-days per year for health maintenance appointments such as general health, dental, and vision appointments. Outpatient-based rotations are eligible times to utilize these half-days.
Vacation
Residents are given 3 weeks of vacation (15 business days) per year plus 5 days in the December/January time frame for the holidays. A 2-week vacation (10 business days) is prescheduled and paired with a 2-week rotation. PGY2s and PGY3s may take the other 5 business days at their discretion while on outpatient-based rotations, e.g., 2 days in outpatient rotation A, 2 days in outpatient rotation B, and 1 day in outpatient rotation C. Interns have another 1-week prescheduled vacation planned for the year.
Lactation
We are pediatricians and love our babies! Our program provides support for time dedicated for lactation, lactation rooms for pumping, as well as designated storage for breastmilk while on campus.
Employee Assistance Program
UTMB offers all employees access to the University of Texas Employee Assistance Program (UTEAP). UTEAP provides counseling and consultation services for all types of life concerns.
Some of the most common reasons that employees contact EAP are
- Stress and Anxiety
- Depression
- Alcohol/Drug Problems
- Parenting and Family Concerns
- Grief or Bereavement
- Anger Management
- Change and Life Transitions
- Work Conflicts
- Communication Skills
Resident-Level Resources
We have a close-knit program with a family feel. We support residents through resident-level resources such as peer-elected Resident Council members and assistant chiefs.
Faculty Support for residents
We also support our residents through excellent faculty who maintain high standards for residency education. They are approachable, invested in the success of our residents, and committed to supporting residents’ development of a firm foundation of pediatric knowledge and skills for independent learning that will follow them into practice. Faculty serve as resident advisors and scholarly activity mentors in addition to their roles as supervisors and educators in clinical settings.