Resident Life

Harlem Hospital Center

Harlem Hospital Pediatric Residents pose for a group pic.

Resident Wellness

Resident wellness is critical to ensuring a healthy work-life balance throughout residency training. The Department of Pediatrics in Harlem Hospital Center has remained committed to support physician well-being, avoid fatigue and burn-out, as well as fostering an environment conducive for clinical learning, though the following initiatives:

Wellness Activities & Resident Outings

At Harlem Hospital, we enjoy planning contests and surprise outings that bring our residents together in a relaxed and entertaining environment. Our outings have included activities such as bowling, basketball and table tennis games, Escape the Room, pizza parties, and potluck parties.

Additionally, our hospital management regularly plans events for Harlem Hospital residents and fellows across all medical specialties. These include a resident and fellow welcome BBQ at the beginning of the year where trainees from different specialties come together and mingle, Resident Appreciation Day and Doctors Day celebrations filled with wellness-themed events and snacks, exercise classes, massages, yoga, arts performances, healthy meals to name a few.

Helping Healers Heal

Helping Healers Heal is a comprehensive program that supports NYC Health + Hospitals staff affected by the second victimization. Second victims are health care providers who are involved in an unanticipated adverse event, in a medical error, and/or a patient-related injury and become victimized in the sense that the provider is traumatized by the event.

Research shows that nearly half of health care providers could experience second victimization at least once in their career. Second victimization is common in circumstances such as medical errors, failure to rescue, first death experience, pediatric cases, and unexpected patient demise. Traumatized staff who do not receive adequate support are at a higher risk of experiencing emotional suffering and burnout.

Helping Healers Heal consists of three tiers of support for second victims:

Local (unit/department) support
Trained peer supporters
Expedited referral network

The program turns our healing powers toward each other to break the cycle of burnout so that we may continue giving our whole selves to our patients. Together, we can ensure that we do not lose one more friend or colleague to second victimization.

Annual Events

The Halloween Party, Christmas gift-giving, and Graduation are the department’s major annual events. The gatherings are awaited with great anticipation and contribute to the overall wellness of the entire department. Residents also look forward to dressing up and enjoying a festive evening with their peers and faculty at the holiday and graduation celebrations. Graduation, in particular, is a bittersweet celebration of success, where the show of support and friendship abounds throughout the evening. Family and significant others are also invited to the graduation dinner, and all have a memorable time on this special night.

Resident Retreat Day

Every year, each class have a common day off, to use for a class retreat to foster bond and peer relations among them.

Personal Wellness Day Off

Each resident are entitled to 2 days per year of paid leave for wellness and other activities necessary for self-care.

Financial Planning and Assessment

Financial advisors are invited yearly to present during our conference. These sessions cover basic financial planning principles such as budgeting, managing loans, filing taxes, sustaining a healthy credit, and creating investment portfolios that suit residents’ long term goals.

Faculty and Resident Support

Each resident chooses a faculty advisor in his or her first year of training. This mentor oversees the resident’s professional and personal development, checks in with the resident regularly and offers guidance when needed, and also serves as a confidant. Our residents develop meaningful connections with their advisors that extend beyond the walls of our hospital.

Our residents also mentor one another. Each resident is welcomed by a PGY2 and PGY3 buddy as he or she begins intern year, and this lineage allows the residents to form a unique bond with one another.

Mental Health Services

GME and CIRSEIU provides free and confidential counseling services with trained psychiatrists committed to Harlem Hospital residents and fellows. We encourage all residents to take advantage of this program offered with the assurance that participation is strictly confidential.

Leadership

Wellness initiatives are led by Ms. Jaqueline McCarthy as the GME Wellness Program Director.

Pediatrics Residency Program