Physician Well-Being
Healthcare professionals experience high levels of stress throughout their career and are therefore susceptible to experiencing burnout. As an institution, LSUHSC recognizes that prioritizing self-care has ripple effects. Often, through self-care, communication is improved, better decisions are made, errors are decreased, and attitudes are raised. Taking care of oneself will in turn improve patient care, personal relationships and the LSUHSC community as a whole.
Our chiefs, as well as enlisted others, serve as social chairs and work with residency administration in organizing and supporting various activities throughout the year. Each year our calendar houses our staple events:
- Bowling: held at the first of each academic year for all employees and their families
- BBQ & skeet shooting: usually held early fall (when the weather cools off)
- Resident & Leadership retreat:
- Clinic Christmas Dinner & Dirty Santa Gift Exchange
- Winter Gumbo: all employees and their families enjoy a night with delicious gumbo, hay-rides, jump house, S’mores, etc.
- Winter Retreat & Respite: each year our Program Director hosts the PGY1 residents and their guest for dinner and a day of reflection.
- International Potluck: held each year on Match Day, residents, faculty & staff prepare and share a dish from their heritage, or one of their family favorites.
We are fortunate to have leadership at Lake Charles Memorial Health System host quarterly social events for our physicians, including a New Year Kickoff Party, where introductions are made, and friendships begin.
In addition to our staple events, our residents and faculty host a variety of “impromptu” events, i.e., LSU football game nights, dinners out, attending music & street festivals together, etc. to keep everyone in check and ensure no one is taking themselves too seriously.
In order to promote the overall health and effectiveness of the LSUHSC community, LSUHSC offers the Campus Assistance Program, a free service that exists to support the mental, emotional and physical wellbeing of residents, students, faculty, staff and immediate family members.
In 2019, the School of Medicine formulated the LSUHSC Wellness Krewe: Self-Care for Health Care. The goal of the Wellness Krewe is to promote a healthy learning and working environment, building resiliency, and personal well-being among faculty, staff, residents and students in LSUHSC's School of Medicine and the Health Sciences Center.
In addition, the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) has an abundant number of resources available through the AWARE platform for residents and fellows designed to promote well-being among residents, fellows, faculty members and others in the GME community.