Inova L.J. Murphy Children's Hospital > For Physicians > Pediatric Residency Program > Resident Wellness

Resident Wellness

Current and future programs to promote Inova pediatric resident wellness include the following:


residents dressed in costumes in a group photoProfessional Wellness


  • Resident mentor program: In their PL-1 year, residents are paired with a faculty member whose role is to provide professional mentorship across the three years of training
  • “Life After Residency” series: Mixers, outings and workshops designed to prepare residents for career transitions and post-residency life
  • Subspecialty mixer
  • Primary care physician panel
  • Personal statement writing workshop
  • Physician contracting workshop with contract attorney
  • Resident Peer Review: A setting in which medical errors or near misses can be discussed in a blame-free, confidential and safe environment
  • Simulations to give residents tools to handle difficult communication skill scenarios
  • Learner assessments through GME to help identify learning styles and test-taking strategies
  • Personalized education: A rigorous general pediatrics curriculum is required, but residents have the opportunity to craft (with guidance) an individualized learning plan and research curriculum which can be tailored to each resident's professional goals
  • Residents as Teachers (RATs): This curriculum provides residents with innovative and practical tools to equip them to evaluate their own learning styles and then apply knowledge to teach patients, students and each other

residents wearing matching T-shirts from a charity eventPsychological/Spiritual wellness


  • Access to confidential therapeutic and psychiatric resources
  • "Resilience rounds" and ongoing program relationship with professional therapists through Inova’s Employee Assistance Program
  • Access to pastoral care
  • Schwartz rounds – multispecialty, multidisciplinary

Physical Wellness


residents gathered at an ourdoor retreat site
  • Complimentary lunch every Tuesday with Academic Half-Day
  • Meal vouchers for lunch and dinner while working overnight and on weekends
  • Cab vouchers for residents too fatigued to travel home
  • List of suggested local healthcare providers for incoming residents (dentists, PCPs, childcare)
  • Free and ample garage parking
  • Gym discounts and corporate perks through Inova Well
    • Workshops, classes and webinars on everything from mind-body health and cardiovascular fitness to yoga and Pilates
    • Personal health coaches for online and email/phone-based programs that address pregnancy/breastfeeding support, chronic/acute back pain management, general nutrition/fitness, tobacco cessation and weight management

Inova residents wearing safety hats, harnesses and rock climbing gearSocial Wellness/Community Building Events

Note: Some in-person activities will be modified during the pandemic

  • Resident "Big Sib" program
  • Wellness and Resilience (WaR) Houses: communities in which residents have access to various faculty (elected by residents for their ability to achieve work-life integration and resilience)
  • Resident fall retreat: A day free of clinical coverage with team-building exercises such as a ropes course, photo scavenger hunt, yoga and meditation instruction, and TopGolf
  • Recruitment dinners, hosted by residents at the home of faculty members
  • Winter party, featuring legendary song parodies penned by attendings and residents
  • Resident Appreciation Day
  • Resident off-site: A day-long brainstorming session intended to help define resident-lead goals and priorities for the upcoming year
  • Senior boat cruise: A dinner boat cruise down the Potomac with faculty, residents and significant others
  • Peds Bowl and Follies: A Jeopardy-style resident vs. faculty showdown followed by video roasts performed by our multitalented residents
  • Pediatric Diversity and Inclusion Committee
  • IPACC Committee
  • Book club
  • Happy hours, including those for pediatric residents and GME-wide
  • Informal, resident-driven get-togethers

Resilience and Wellness Assessments


doctors and nurses pose with characters dressed in Star Wars visiting the hospital
  • Semiannual one-on-one meetings with program director
  • Internal QI-based needs assessment for modification of ongoing resident resilience and wellness initiatives
  • Multicenter, collaborative Pediatric Resident Burnout – Resilience Study (PRB-RSC) Consortium, including participation in the initial study, "Defining Key Factors in Burnout and Resilience in Pediatric Residents and the Relationship to Performance"
  • Annual ACGME resident survey
  • Monthly pediatric house staff meetings and program updates
  • Feedback Fridays
  • GME-wide Resident Advisory Committe