Our goal is to ensure our residents are happy and healthy. In 2015, we started a resident wellness program that focuses on strengthening the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health of our residents. The wellness program includes dedicated wellness didactic lectures throughout the year, gratitude initiatives, and wellness activities including mindfulness and meditation, call-free resident events and retreats, increased access to mental health professionals, a pastoral care partnership, and ensuring each of our residents receives one extra personal day a year.

Our program recognizes the need to train not only great clinicians, but also outstanding leaders and teachers in the field of pediatrics. In the spirit of Nemours’ commitment to growing leaders and improving work performance and personal development, we have developed a curriculum that will provide our residents with the skills essential to becoming leaders in the medical system. A series of retreats, at the PL1, PL2 and PL3 level helps accomplish this goal.

The intern retreat’s theme is Self Awareness, aiming to explore unique aspects of the individual and provide basic teaching tools in the context of understanding varying personality types. This retreat lays the foundation for team building.

The second year retreat focuses on The World Around Us: Interpersonal and Group Dynamics; exploring group dynamics and how individuals work within groups. The goal is to improve teaching skills in the context of group and interpersonal dynamics by stressing feedback training.

At the final retreat, the seniors work towards Leading and Growing Beyond Residency. The focus is on exploring the aspects of successful leadership, professional and personal development, relying on past experiential training.

All retreats last two days and are held at the beach or shore. They offer an opportunity for residents to come together as a class and to form deeper relationships.

In addition to overnight retreats, several additional one-day events occur throughout the academic year. These are planned to supplement and further the leadership and educational training curriculum. Others address specific issues, including patient safety, career planning, patients with terminal care issues, and preparing for new responsibilities that come with promotion to the next level.

A yearly event, this is a residency-sponsored get-together to break the monotony of the winter. You’ll even help select the location and entertainment for this annual celebration.

You can be take part in the coordination of frequent hospital-wide Happy Hours designed to build a sense of camaraderie among nurses, respiratory therapists and faculty.

A senior resident dinner is held for graduating residents and their significant others in May. There is a festive graduation ceremony for resident’s family and friends to celebrate their accomplishments in June. This ceremony is also attended by the hospital community.

Residents and attendings celebrate a successful year at a formal dinner dance in June.

The ARGs are associate-led groups of like-minded individuals who meet on a periodic basis to provide support, affiliation and drive change in their respective areas.  Current ARGs are African Heritage, Adelante-Latino/Hispanic, Caregivers, Nemours Pride, and Women Leaders.  

The Jefferson Alliance for Minority Health Professionals (JAMHP) is a group that brings together faculty, researchers and resident physicians from underrepresented backgrounds across disciplines throughout the Jefferson community. The organization serves to foster an environment that is supportive and responsive to the needs of its members through mentorship, scholarly activity, professional and social networking. Through partnership with the Enterprise Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives at Sidney Kimmel Medical College, JAMHP is aimed at supporting its members and expanding the diversity of Thomas Jefferson University. JAMHP will be instrumental in developing diverse leaders in the clinical, academic, and biomedical research arenas.

SKMC has created the following resident affinity groups to address Thomas Jefferson University’s needs for an inclusive environment, education, community outreach, mentorship (from faculty, of students) and camaraderie. They are connected to similar faculty and student groups to enhance the overall experience.  Current resident affinity groups are: Black House Staff Association, Hispanic/Latinx House Staff Association, and Queer House Staff Association.

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Classes in cross cultural learning and anti-racism are available for all associates.  Interactive Town Halls addressing topics such as race and intersectionality are held monthly to continue the dialogue in addressing racism. 

The Nemours Resident Wellness Committee is working to develop a resident curriculum addressing racism and diversity.  This curriculum will be longitudinal and address topics to educate residents in how race, racism and social determinants of health impact our patients and our community. 

The SKMC Office of Graduate Medical Education has established an anti-racism/bias curriculum that serves as the foundation to address unconscious bias, microaggressions, race and medicine and structural competency for the Jefferson resident.

We have established a visiting scholars program for medical students who are pursuing a career in pediatrics and identify as members of racial and ethnic populations that are underrepresented in the medical profession relative to their numbers in the general population. This program allows for a month long rotation tailored to the specific interests of each student.  Students receive individualized mentorship and meetings with pediatric residency leadership, along with a stipend to cover travel and living expenses.  For more information and an application, please contact cindy.chuidian@nemours.org.