UPMC Lititz Internal Medicine Program  - Cultural Potluck 05.29.22

UPMC Lititz Internal Medicine Program gathered on May 29th to for some comradery and decompressions. The residents....

       

   ... enjoyed food and drink from around the world at a Cultural potluck dinner.  The groups shared stories and personal experiences outside the work place to strengthen their bond and take time to relax. 

Results/Outcome Survey
1. What was the general understanding of the purpose of the project/program by participants?

The understanding of the purpose of the project among our residents and facility was to promote personal well being and to provide opportunity for our internal medicine program to gather together, outside of the hospital, and be able to share personal experiences with each other that are not work related. Because of this purpose we were able to gather as a group and share food, stories, and experiences about each other’s culture that shape who we are today.

2. During the project/program, what tangible tools or strategies were demonstrated or taught (i.e, coping skills for wellness and life balance)

Although working in healthcare is stressful, especially during the pandemic, our internal medicine program is founded on the basis that we are individuals who have the same experiences as our patients. We were able to share that wellness is not an individual initiative, but a system initiative.

3. What word(s) best describes how you feel when you are experiencing stress or well-being imbalance?

Frustration is defined as the feeling of being upset or annoyed, especially in the inability to change or achieve something. When we are stressed this is the exact feeling that we have due to not being able to be in control of my life, and the situations occurring around us. As a resident physician, it is always hard to not be in control of the situations that arise around us; however, this is something that we must learn to manage and work around work situations that arise while balancing our own situations in life.

4. What suggestions do you have to increase the probability of success for the project/program for other institutions?

It is important our programs to get together outside of the hospital. We are fortunate enough that our program is small and able to gather outside of the clinic often and decompress away from the hospital. We are also fortunate enough that our program attendings and director provide us with protected time to ensure we are able to get together and decompress outside of the hospital.

5. What do you intend to do, upon returning to work, that you learned and practiced during the activity, that will improve your response to stressful situations?

By sharing the experiences and cultures of each other we were able to realize and truly understand that each individual comes from a different background and culture that shapes who they are today. Our activity reinforced this by learning about the cultures of each other and the others we all experienced growing up which shaped who we are today. This allows us to carry this idea into practice into the hospital by being able to become aware of our patients diversity and the culture they bring into the hospital.