• Hafiz Qurashi, Anas Atrash, and Michael J Asken.
• From the Internal Medicine Residency Program, University of Pittsburgh - UPMC Pinnacle Hospitals, Medical Center Pinnacle, Harrisburg.
• South. Med. J. 2022 Jun 1; 115 (6): 389-393.

ObjectiveFor resident wellness, it is important to understand and discern the relative contributions of each factor to resident stress.MethodsAfter institutional review board approval, a 20-question survey instrument was provided to 90 residents across four specialties (Internal Medicine, Emergency Medicine, General Surgery, and Orthopedic Surgery) at a university-affiliated health system. The survey was completed from October through November 2020 by 63 residents for a 70% participation rate. Qualitative and quantitative analyses were used.ResultsThe results showed a mean change in status in either direction of 2.66 points on an 11-point scale. Status changes were both positive (less stress) and negative (more stress). Related to the source of change in stress levels, 8 items were seen as predominantly influenced by residency training and 11 factors were predominantly influenced by the pandemic. One item was equally influenced by both. No item was primarily influenced by the sociopolitical climate. For 16 of the 20 items, changes in a negative direction were statistically greater than in a positive direction.ConclusionsBoth positive and negative changes in resident stress status occurred during the pandemic period. Traditional residency stressors remained and because all of the factors were affected by both the pandemic and residency training, efforts to mitigate the negative effects of both need to continue.

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