This year the UW Department of Pediatrics Residency Program is celebrating the 50th year of the annual intern retreat, which gives first-year residents an opportunity to step away from clinical work for a full five days, prioritizing community building and discussion. Interns participate in interactive sessions, activities, and conversations focused on working with families, working with nurses, the experience of a medical error, professional identity formation, and building skills to help them feel more confident and supported throughout their training program.
“Outside of orientation at the beginning of the year, it is one of only four times the entire class is together throughout their three years of training,” said Dr. Elena Griego, one of the faculty leaders of the event. “The retreat provides a unique opportunity for each residency class to share experiences and discuss universal topics.”
The retreat was first established in 1977 as a way of giving trainees dedicated time to focus on learning, and featured courses on child development and communication skills. Since then, the content has evolved to be more interactive and cover subjects such as the responsibilities of teaching medical students, challenging clinical interactions, and ethical dilemmas. A faculty team leads retreat organization and planning, and the executive residents coordinate coverage for clinical duties during the week. This type of training is unique among residency programs and has had consistent widespread support from the department and from prior participants, some of whom return to help provide coverage after their residency.
“We continue to be the only residency program in the country that provides a five-day experience away from clinical work, prioritizing community building and discussion of the shared joys and challenges of clinical medicine,” Dr. Griego said. “We consistently hear that interns value the time to come together and connect as a class and community. It also allows the interns to explore their shared experiences as new physicians and the challenges that they face while they navigate this new role.”
“There is no other program in the country that gives interns a week away from their other duties to spend time together talking about issues that are deeply imbedded in pediatric practice, but not otherwise part of a standard curriculum,” said Dr. Douglas Diekema, one of the retreat leaders. “The residents so appreciate the opportunity to take a week away from their usual work to spend time together, talk about issues that are on their minds, and recognize that many of the things they worry about are things that nearly all trainees and faculty struggle with.”
An early article about the retreat, published in Pediatrics in 1979, describes how the spirit of the event became infectious, winning over those who were initially skeptical. It also highlights the value of the retreat as an opportunity for first-year residents to connect and work as a team. The retreat is held in September, which means residents come with some experiences from their first few months to reflect on and discuss.
A subsequent article about the retreat, published in Academic Medicine in 2003, highlighted the opportunities the retreat provides to teach new interns the fundamentals of professionalism and was one of the 10 most frequently cited articles in the journal that year.
“The five days of the retreat are an incredible bonding experience for interns that impact their relationships with each other throughout their residency,” said Dr. Eileen Klein, who previously served on the faculty team leading the retreat.
“What our interns have to give to patients and families depends on how well their own personal and professional needs are met, and we the faculty know they can best be met by each other,” said Dr. Edgar Marcuse, who previously served as a retreat lead. “The structure of their first year of residency presents formidable challenges to interns getting to know and support each other, as most have just relocated to a new community, are taking on major new responsibilities, and must change care sites and teams every month. The retreat is designed to facilitate their getting to know each other as individuals, not just clinical coworkers, through interactive small group discussions and activities, including preparing a meal from scratch for 70 on an overnight. That we have been able to sustain a full five-day retreat for 50 years testifies to UW and Seattle Children’s commitment towards having a training program that reflects its core values with the next generation of pediatricians.”
We’re very proud to celebrate this unique and meaningful part of our residency program, and extend tremendous gratitude to the many people who make this possible every year and continue to shape the retreat to best support and prepare residents for their careers in medicine. Below, see some select photos of this year’s retreat – the first in 50 years to feature a baby shower!
