Abstract
[This is an excerpt.] The culture of surgical training has seen a significant shift in recent years to focus more on resident well-being and decreasing burnout. The Flexibility in duty-hour Requirements for Surgical Trainees trial reported an alarming rate of weekly burnout to be 39% among residents surveyed nationally and was also more prevalent among female trainces. Female surgeons face unique challenges including salary inequities, microaggressions, and unconscious bias that can contribute to burnout. Organizations such as the Association of Women Surgeons (AWS) were founded to gather and support female surgeons experiencing these unique challenges and inspire and encourage women surgeons to reach their professional and personal goals. In this isue of Annals of Surgery. Palamara et al' conducted a randomized controlled trial comparing the effectiveness of a virtual coaching program for female residents meant to increase wellbeing and decrease burnout as a collaborative effort with the AWS. Trainees were randomized into 3 professional development 1:1 virtual coaching sessions over a year as the intervention arm compared with emailed wellness resources as a control. The authors found significant improvement in well-being based on numerous standardized scales with excellent validity evidence, as well as a significant difference between the 2 arms on the Positive Emotion. Engagement, Relationship, Meaning, and Accomplishment scale. Coaching was provided by attending surgeons from the AWS after undergoing a 3-hour, in-person coaching training program that focused on the principles of positive psychology. [To read more, click View Resource.]
