Western Journal of Emergency Medicine: Integrating Emergency Care with Population Health

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the way medical students seek residency positions. In 2020, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education advocated for virtual interviews. Most emergency medicine (EM) interviews in 2023 remained virtual, and this format will persist for the foreseeable future. Since students are not evaluating programs in person in most cases, residency websites are crucial for prospective residents. Resident wellness is critical for resident training and important to prospective residents; it follows that programs must be transparent about resident wellness on websites. In this study we aimed to quantify the number of EM programs with wellness pages on their websites and identify themes portrayed on those pages. 

Methods: We analyzed residency website wellness pages from EM websites based on the 2022 directory of the Electronic Residency Application Service. We independently coded wellness statements through an inductive process. Codes were revised iteratively to consensus and organized into themes. 

Results: We identified 278 (100%) EM residency websites. Of these websites, 57 (20.5%) had a wellness page, 45 (16.2%) linked to an institutional page that discussed wellness, 169 (60.8%) discussed wellness themes on their website in areas other than a wellness page, and 69 (24.8%) had no direct mention of wellness anywhere on their website. Using this information, we identified themes including community involvement, growth and development, nutrition and health, psychological well-being, social and relaxation activities, wellness culture and environment, wellness curriculum, wellness structure and resources, and work-life integration. 

Conclusion: Most EM program websites do not include a wellness page. Of the programs that do, we identified important themes. The absence of dedicated wellness pages on most EM websites suggests an opportunity for programs to better communicate their wellness initiatives to applicants, helping them identify programs that align with their values.