The Trauma Fellow’s Perspective on Grit and Resilience and Its Role in Wellness

Abstract

Purpose of Review: To describe the unique stressors of surgical training and fellowship and how grit and resilience influence trainee wellness Recent Findings: Surgical training is an intense, high-stress experience. For fellows-in-training, unique stressors are associated with this chapter of training, from financial pressors to the stress of job acquisition. Wellness is essential for surgical fellows, not just for the critical need for quality mental health of providers, but also for the patients who are also affected by provider burnout. There are various wellness programs that can be instituted nationally and institutionally to optimize fellow wellness, but one of the most high-yield foci for fellow wellness is focused mentorship, the key to assuring wellness and harnessing grit. Summary: Surgical residency and fellowship are prodigiously demanding experiences, which mandate grit and resilience. It is imperative that widespread cultural and institutional changes take place to best support surgical trainees.