UPMC Altoona - Family Residency - AMC Movie Lock-In 03.18.24

The general understanding is that the purpose of the "AMC Movie Lock-In" was to utilize the grant money provided by POMA to be able to spend the afternoon away from clinical duties and spend time as a group. Without the funding from the grant, we certainly would not have been able to do this. 

It was perceived that the above was successful at promoting resident wellness and wellbeing.

The activity was chosen with the understanding that though resident wellness is important - we as residents still have a duty to our patients. Our program at Altoona Family Physicians is great at providing to our wellness needs. We wanted to pick an activity to which we could do our AM clinical duties, be able to leave and have fun for a few hours, and then relieve the attendings covering our various services to finish the workday out!

We watched "Kung-Fu Panda 4" for our movie. Interestingly, it was unanimously voted out of other choices. It did not disappoint!

The movie itself offered a main "lesson" - "from pits rise big trees". When we reflected on the activity as a group, this led to a worthwhile discussion about how this quote described medical training. We all started as inquisitive minds in our hometowns interested in pursuing careers to help others, took difficult classes in undergraduate, spent long hours studying in medical school, and ultimately matched into a family medicine training program which is a daily emotional and physical commitment. We have grown throughout this time with plenty of "sunshine and water" - the frequent check-ins from family, friends, and faculty; good patient experiences; etc. These have all helped us mature. During all of the growth, we have had to combat the "wind and storm" - the bad outcomes, negative experiences, long hours. Things that all attempt to prevent us from reaching our full potential. It is experiences like the "AMC Movie Lock-In" that allow us to regroup and heal. 

This activity will help improve how we respond to stressful situations. It was made clear yet again that we have a good support system across the board. It is hard to feel alone. We get support from each other, our residency, and (now) our state. We know that we can ask for help and there is a large team in our corner. 

We would like to thank POMA for the grant once more - please continue to offer this opportunity in the future because it was definitely well received by our family medicine residency! Our only thought in how POMA could further support wellness and life balance is if a yearly larger event bringing residents together in PA for a day of fun activities might be possible or feasible.