Anesthesiology Resident Wellness

The anesthesia department’s Houses system was developed with the goals of promoting a healthy, happy resident environment in and out of the hospital, bolstering bonds between residents, and battling burnout in mind. Much like the Harry Potter’s houses, residents are sorted into four different houses (Stoelting, Barash, Miller, and M&M - Morgan and Mikhail), and house leaders are selected from each CA-1 class to lead social activities for their house. In addition to the department’s annual welcome party and Christmas parties, events like happy hours, cheese tasting nights, tennis matches, exploring Houston’s restaurants together, Secret Santa, pajamas and pancake parties by the Houses have been well-received and enjoyed, and they allowed residents in different years to get to know one another outside the hospital.  

With the pandemic’s social distancing guidelines, the Houses system has temporarily adapted towards the virtual realm. Monthly “House Events” are organized for residents, whether through a live Zoom meeting or real-time online gaming sessions. Some events underway include Skribbl (similar to Pictionary but is online), yoga sessions, workout routines, cooking clubs, and cheese and wine pairings. We are hoping to transition back to in-person events under safer circumstances in the future. But during a time when getting to know one’s co-residents, juniors, or seniors is challenging, these Houses parties are ways to bring residents together and highlight that we are available and approachable… not to mention being able to finally get used to seeing a friend’s face without that OR mask!

Intern year can become isolating when residents are away from their home program.  The anesthesia department has developed the Big Sib Little Sib program to make our interns feel like part of the anesthesia family from the start.  This program pairs each intern with an upper level anesthesia resident (Big Sib).  The Big Sib acts as a mentor for the intern, answering questions about rotations and career guidance, as well as providing emotional support.  Big Sibs and Little Sibs are often found dining at one of the many restaurants in Houston, running at Memorial Park, or exploring the city together.