Perceptions of the Learning Environment on the Relationship Between Stress and Burnout for Residents in an ACGME-I Accredited National Psychiatry Residency Program

Educational environment and mental wellbeing of medical and surgical postgraduate residents in Medellin, Colombia

INTRODUCTION

One of the most important moments in a doctor's life occurs when they do a medical residency. This period imposes stress and academic demands, which, together with the educational environment, allows for greater or lesser mental wellbeing. The objective of this study was to determine how the educational environment and mental wellbeing of medical residents are related.

METHODS

Analytical cross-sectional study, in residents of clinical-surgical specialties. The educational environment was assessed using the Postgraduate Hospital Educational Environment Measure (PHEEM), and mental wellbeing was assessed with the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS). Pearson's linear correlation was determined. Informed consent and approval by the university ethics committee were obtained.

RESULTS

The study population comprised 131 students, 43.8% male, with a median age of 28 years (interquartile range 4). In total, 87.9% of residents answered the survey. Of these, 65.9% were doing medical residencies and 34.1% surgical residencies. The mean PHEEM score was 107.96 ± 18.88, the positive emotions subscale was 29.32 ± 5.18 and positive functioning 23.61 ± 3.57, with a mean total mental wellbeing of 52.96 ± 8.44. A positive and moderate correlation was found between the total PHEEM score and each of the two mental wellbeing subscales (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

A positive correlation was found between a better perception of the educational environment and mental wellbeing by residents of clinical and surgical specialties with greater mental wellbeing.

Nurse students' perception of the academic learning environment in Tunisian institutes of nursing sciences: A multisite cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

A learning environment is an important determinant of students' learning behaviours, professional competencies, and academic performances. It is also an essential indicator of the quality of teaching programmes. To date, there is not a Tunisian study, that analysed nurse students' perceptions of the educational environment.

AIMS

This study aimed to assess the perception of Tunisian higher nursing institutes students regarding the quality of the learning environment, and identify the factors associated with it.

DESIGN

Multi-site cross-sectional survey.

SETTING

Five universities of nursing sciences in Tunisia.

PARTICIPANTS

Undergraduate nursing students (n = 736).

METHODS

A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted during the academic year 2019-2020. The Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure (DREEM) questionnaire was used to describe the students' perceptions of the learning environment. The participants were recruited using a convenience sampling method. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 20. One-way analysis of variance and t-test were used to compare the DREEM scores and socio-demographic/academic characteristics. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered significant.

RESULTS

The mean overall DREEM score was 110.92 ± 20.55, indicating a positive perception of the learning environment. The year of study was significantly associated with total DREEM scores, with first-year students scoring higher than third- and second-year students (p = 0.035). The perception of the learning environment varied significantly among the five institutes (p < 10^-3). Demotivated atmosphere, lack of a support system, poor timetable organisation, and teacher-centred learning were revealed as problematic areas that needed improvement (individual score < 2). Our adapted version of the DREEM obtained acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.881).

CONCLUSIONS

The study reported positive perceptions of the students regarding their academic learning environment. However, the DREEM scores reflected a traditional learning environment. It is essential to re-engineer the curriculum and shift the teaching paradigm towards 'student-centred curriculum' to enhance both the effectiveness and the efficiency of the learning environment.

Educational Environment and Mental Wellbeing of Medical and Surgical Postgraduate Residents in Medellin, Colombia

INTRODUCTION

One of the most important moments in a doctor's life occurs when they do a medical residency. This period imposes stress and academic demands, which, together with the educational environment, allows for greater or lesser mental wellbeing. The objective of this study was to determine how the educational environment and mental wellbeing of medical residents are related.

METHODS

Analytical cross-sectional study, in residents of clinical-surgical specialties. The educational environment was assessed using the Postgraduate Hospital Educational Environment Measure (PHEEM), and mental wellbeing was assessed with the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS). Pearson's linear correlation was determined. Informed consent and approval by the university ethics committee were obtained.

RESULTS

The study population comprised 131 students, 43.8% male, with a median age of 28 years (interquartile range 4). In total, 87.9% of residents answered the survey. Of these, 65.9% were doing medical residencies and 34.1% surgical residencies. The mean PHEEM score was 107.96±18.88, the positive emotions subscale was 29.32±5.18 and positive functioning 23.61±3.57, with a mean total mental wellbeing of 52.96±8.44. A positive and moderate correlation was found between the total PHEEM score and each of the two mental wellbeing subscales (p <0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

A positive correlation was found between a better perception of the educational environment and mental wellbeing by residents of clinical and surgical specialties with greater mental wellbeing.

Addressing Burnout in Pharmacy Residency Programs

Addressing health care provider burnout has become a top priority for many health care systems. Unfortunately, a paucity of literature is available on preventing and managing burnout in pharmacy residents despite an increase in articles on the prevalence of pharmacy burnout. This limits the ability of pharmacy managers to understand and address burnout in this high-risk population. Until further investigation into the most beneficial, evidence-based strategies for managing burnout in this population is conducted, this commentary offers strategies to address and mitigate burnout in pharmacy residency training programs based on the available interdisciplinary literature.The authors have first-hand experience with burnout and aim to begin a paradigm shift to emphasize well-being and reshape the culture of postgraduate training. Dr. Potter has dedicated time to developing programming and founded an interprofessional well-being organization called Mindfulness in Newly Developing Students of Healthcare (MINDS) for health care students and providing recommendations for pharmacy residency programs. As a program director, Dr. Cadiz focuses on the development of realistic and effective strategies to eliminate burnout and foster well-being in her pharmacy residency training program.

The Effect of the Educational Environment on the rate of Burnout among Postgraduate Medical Trainees - A Narrative Literature Review

BACKGROUND

Burnout among postgraduate medical trainees is common. It is a syndrome characterised by emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and reduced personal accomplishment. Burnout is seen as an organisational problem rather than the result of an individual's ability to cope with the stress at work. The educational environment can play a pivotal role in the prevention of burnout among postgraduate medical trainees. This narrative literature review is aimed at assessing the effect of the educational environment on burnout in postgraduate doctors-in-training.

METHODS

A search of the databases Medline and PscyInfo for articles published between 2015 and 2020 was performed with the key words 'burnout' and 'educational environment' or 'clinical learning environment' or 'postgraduate medical education' or 'learning environment'.

RESULTS

A total of 27 studies were identified and reviewed by the author. The prevalence of burnout reported varied widely between studies, ranging from 10% to 62%. Many of the factors that contribute to burnout form part of the educational environment, for example, hours worked, mistreatment, harassment and perceptions of injustice. Residency itself is a stressful period wherein trainees have to balance their responsibilities towards their patients with their responsibilities at home, all while furthering their studies and taking on new responsibilities. Interventions to prevent burnout and tackle existing burnout are multiple but very little solid evidence exists to attest to their efficacy. More research is needed to identify the most effective ways to deal with burnout in postgraduate medical trainees.