Central PA Medicine - Spring 2017 - 11

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I was elated that my classmates were
finally fulfilling their dreams on becoming physicians. But as my friends and I
reveled in the tremendous camaraderie
of Match Day, we all knew in the back
of our minds that the hardships were yet
to come. Starting July 1st, my friends
will not only have a newly-minted 'M.D.'
on their white coats, but they will also
face the physical exhaustion of overnight
shifts, the trepidations of being a fledgling
resident doctor, and most importantly,
the sacred responsibility of patient care.
In medicine, 'burn-out' and 'depression'
are becoming increasingly commonplace.
Thus, maintaining physician well-being,
particularly in first-year residents, should
be at the forefront of discussion.
Notably, physical wellness is one area that
is nearly absent in the daily life of resident
physicians. A 2015 study conducted at the
University of Missouri surveyed first-year
residents, senior residents and attending
physicians on their weekly exercise habits.
The data was startling: according to the
surveys, none of the residents exercised more
than 150 minutes per week, the minimum
amount recommended by The American
College of Sports Medicine, while on
in-patient rotations. The situation does not
improve much even for attending physicians,
with only 18% of them being able to hit the
150-minute-a-week benchmark.
On the healthcare policy side, the current
climate does not yield much promise either.
As it stands, residency programs do not have
any policies surrounding physical exercise.
And with recent change by the Accreditation
Council for Graduate Medical Education
that allows 1st-year residents to work up
to 28 hours in a single shift, there is even
less of a chance that residents will be able
to properly incorporate exercise in their
weekly routines.
The benefits of physical wellness and
exercise are irrefutable. Repeated studies
have shown that just 30 minutes of daily
exercise has notable benefits on bone density,
cardiovascular health, and joint mobility
in the long-term. At Penn State College

PHYSICAL
WELLNESS IS ONE
AREA THAT IS
NEARLY ABSENT
IN THE DAILY LIFE
OF RESIDENT
PHYSICIANS.
of Medicine, the Humanities department
dedicates a tremendous amount of resources
to educate students on self-care. For example,
students are regularly encouraged to focus
on physical wellness through programs such
as yoga classes, intermural sports tournaments, and even meditation exercises. But
for all the attention we spend on wellness

of medical students, what good are these
efforts if we don't extend these practices to
medical doctors?

REFERENCES:
American College of Sports Medicine. "ACSM
Quantity and Quality of Exercise for Developing and Maintaining Cardiorespiratory,
Musculoskeletal, and Neuromotor Fitness
in Apparently Healthy Adults: Guidance for
Prescribing Exercise." Med Sci Sports Exerc 43.7
(2011): 1334-1359.
Bernstein, Lenny. "First-year Doctors Will
Be Allowed to Work 24-hour Shifts Starting
in July." The Washington Post. WP Company,
10 Mar. 2017. Web. 31 Mar. 2017.
Williams, Amy S., et al. "Understanding
the exercise habits of residents and attending
physicians: a mixed methodology study." Family
medicine 47.2 (2015): 118-123.
Central PA Medicine Spring 2017 11
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Central PA Medicine - Spring 2017
