Wellness and Mentorship

Wellness 

Hi! We are the co-wellness chiefs for the UC Davis Neurology program.

It’s a universal fact that residency is hard. We feel lucky that the Neurology Department and UC Davis as a whole has such a collegial culture where wellness is emphasized and not an afterthought. It is off of this foundation that we hope to continue to build upon in our roles as Wellness Chiefs.  

Beyond planning and being present for wellness events, we want to be advocates for resident wellness. That means anonymous and open door avenues for concerns, feedback and ideas. We also hope to welcome the PGY-1s early intern year so they can transition seamlessly into the Neurology family. We think it is important to make them feel welcome and part of our community prior to starting their neurology focused years. 

We want to acknowledge that wellness means different things to different people. Our goal is to get to know each resident as an individual so we can better capitalize on our unique group with diverse interests ranging from dungeons and dragons to bird watching. Of note, one thing most of us bond over, (other than our love for Neurology) is food… See evidence below. We are also hoping to incorporate more Diversity Equity and Inclusion into our wellness curriculum. This includes having our residents connect more to the local community with community service opportunities and events. 

 Check out some of the prior wellness events and initiatives below: 

• Resident Retreats twice a year (in the past we've done laser tag, Top Golf, outdoor ropes course! )
• “Brains and Brews”, our monthly resident get together
• Monthly check-in sessions where we can discuss patient cases or situations that challenged us mentally or emotionally 
• Assigned PGY2 and 3 mentors for interns
• Impromptu snack support
• Friendsgiving and Potluck dinners 

Our department also supports a Wellness Chief’s participation in the Clinician Health and Well-being Program Fellowship, a 6-month program to gain in-depth training and advance a career in clinician health. Lastly, many liaisons within the department participate in a Support-U Peer Responder program, a campus-wide effort to provide counseling at various levels of training in response to all the challenges of working in a health care system." We want to celebrate little and big wins. Residents work hard and deserve to be recognized whether that’s on their birthday or after a long night of stroke alerts and consults. Please feel free to reach out for any questions or concerns!

Follow us on Twitter : @ucdavisneuro , @UCD_ChildNeuro, and @UCD_Neurology
and Instagram : @UCD_Neuorlogy and @Ucdavisneurologyresidency

Sincerely,  
Meera Solanki Bedi and Kelly Chan

Mentorship

Residents are paired with a faculty mentor at the start of residency. Resident-Mentorship selection is weighted on numerous factors and include, but are not limited by, specialty interest, work-life balance, or career guidance. Mentorship starts PGY1 and continues throughout one's residency with quarterly check-ins, review of academic goals, scholarly activities, and career planning such as fellowship.  

In addition, we have a peer-to-peer mentorship program called the “Big Sibs Program,” where a junior and senior resident are paired at the beginning of the academic year to provide support and guidance at the start of internship into the transition of neurology training.