November was a busy month in the Resident Wellness Office for Peer Support reach outs. Our team is grateful that programs, residents, and program directors are gaining awareness on the program supports that are available during emotionally distressing events. Eight requests for Peer Support came through our portal in November 2023 and we were able to successfully match Peer Supporters for each request within 24 hours. Our supporters are keen, willing and available to provide a listening ear, share helpful resources and allow residents to feel connection, minimizing the sense of feeling alone. If you want to get matched with a Peer Supporter, reach out here!
The Peer Supporter we are celebrating this month is OBGYN resident, Dr. Nicole Thompson. Dr. Thompson participated in the second round of Peer Support Training hosted by the RWO in collaboration with Dr. Jo Shapiro in the beginning of 2022. She has been an active supporter since she participated in the training, and has completed 4 peer reach outs for our program. The Peer Support model aims to ensure Peer Supporters are not asked to do more than 3 peer reach outs per year. In order to maintain engagement and minimize the demand on our Peer Supporters, this model has distributed the support load across 35 trained residents and staff that volunteer for our program. Last October 2022, the RWO hosted a Peer Support training dinner with Dr. Shapiro in which Dr. Thompson attended. Her contributions to conversations regarding the “reinvigoration” of the program were instrumental and it is evident she is a charismatic healthcare provider. She has been a dedicated support to the program as a whole, and we are grateful for her commitment to providing care and compassion to her colleagues. Dr. Thompson’s compassion shines through as she signs off her emails, “Be humble. Be curious. Be kind.”
