The Wellness Home: A Comprehensive Model for Graduate Medical Education Trainees’ Wellbeing

Graduate Medical Education trainees’ wellness has become an important topic in academic medicine. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) requires oversight, education, and resources, understanding that medical training happens within a complex environment. Patients, personal and psychosocial issues, overlays, administrative demands, and intense oversight at various levels add additional elements of complexity and stress. The demographics of medicine are changing, with a greater proportion of women, minorities, and international medical graduates entering training with different needs and greater expectations. GME trainees constitute a population with unique needs that demand an adaptable and broad approach toward wellbeing and training success. The University of Texas Health San Antonio (UTHSA) created the Wellness Home, a comprehensive and adaptable model inspired by those used in primary care, where support is offered to trainees and training programs. It addresses issues beyond mental health management by including interventions such as coaching, access to medical services, or financial literacy. We present here a detailed description of the program and a rationale for developing this holistic approach in other institutions. Case studies are used to illustrate the complex needs of trainees and the innovative approaches used in their support. Usage data is presented as additional evidence that this model is increasingly and successfully being used.