Time out with T.O. – The stress reliever

It’s commonly known that residency is the most stressful period in a physician’s career.

Think about it. For first-year residents, they are students on June 30, then on July 1, they become physicians. With the transition comes increasing responsibilities, long hours, less time to sleep and more challenges to squeeze in a healthy meal.

Many UNMC residents are coming to Omaha from another city or another country. They are moving alone, sometimes with their families, and leaving their support systems behind. They need to learn a new community, make new friends, get established. It can be overwhelming.

That’s where Susan Smith comes in. Since 2015, Smith has provided assistance to UNMC’s 600 residents from the welcoming confines of her office on the fourth floor of Bennett Hall.

“Residency is different than it used to be,” said Smith, who served as manager of UNMC’s Faculty/Employee Assistance Program from 1986 to 2015. “House officers are spread out all over town. They work on different rotations at different times. It can be really isolating.”

Smith makes it easy for residents to connect with her by being available 24/7 and encouraging use of her personal cell phone for texting and calls to schedule appointments or to just talk.

“I try to be as flexible as I can, because their schedules are so unpredictable,” she said. “My goal is to be here when they need me. There’s a big learning curve for them — the first year can be especially hard. The full magnitude of being a physician really settles in.”

Appointments are usually one hour long, confidential and free of charge.

“It’s totally private — there is no electronic health record,” Smith said. “I want to provide a place they can go to receive objective feedback and coaching . . . a place they can cry if they want to let go. It stays here.

“Two heads are always better than one. I want them to leave with a greater sense of hope and optimism. The vast majority aren’t burned out or suicidal. They are simply looking for guidance, and that’s what I give them. I listen.”

Smith recounted the story of one resident who came to UNMC from a Middle East country.

“She had no close friends or family nearby and always felt isolated. At night, she would sit in her bedroom and cry,” she said. Smith helped her connect with other residents and a faculty couple that took her under their wing.

To help meet the socialization needs of residents, the Graduate Medical Education Office holds periodic events (often in concert with the Student Wellness office) to help residents make connections, relax and enjoy themselves. One example is “Trivia Night,” which was held the week before Thanksgiving in the Truhlsen Events Center.

“It’s a team competition. We feed them, provide door prizes and they can bring their partners,” Smith said. “It’s very entertaining — a great way to laugh, have fun and make social connections. About 150 people, residents and medical students, attended last year.”

Smith encourages use of a wide variety of coping skills that residents can employ to relieve their anxiety.

“Residents tend to be all or none,” she said. “That’s the kind of thinking that gets them in trouble. We want to inject pieces of normalcy back into their life. Get them to take a walk for 15 minutes, go to the gym, ride a bike, read, paint, play a musical instrument, be with their kids, talk about what they’re feeling. They need to make the time to begin to restore a sense of balance in their lives.”