Well-Being among Emergency Medicine Resident Physicians: Results from the ABEM Longitudinal Study of Emergency Medicine Residents

Background: The Longitudinal Study of Emergency Medicine Residents (LSEMR) conducted by the American Board of Emergency Medicine queries a randomized cohort of emergency medicine (EM) residents. It is designed to identify residents’ perceptions of their training, sources of stress, well-being level, and career choice satisfaction over time. Objectives: This study utilizes LSEMR to identify resident well-being levels, career satisfaction, factors producing stress, and whether a specific cohort is more stressed than the overall respondent group. Methods: Data from five longitudinal cohorts were analyzed using descriptive statistics to assess stressors, career satisfaction, and self-reported resident well-being. Participants’ answers were reported on a 5-point Likert scale. Results: There were 766 residents who completed the survey in five cohorts. Respondents were 30 years old (median 29), male (66%), and predominantly White (79%). The most frequently encountered problems included “time devoted to documentation and bureaucratic issues,” “knowing enough,” and “crowding in the emergency department.” In contrast, the least frequently reported problems included “gender discrimination,” “EMS support,” “minority discrimination,” and “other residents.” Respondents thought being an EM resident was fun and would select EM again. Less than 20% indicated they had seriously considered transferring to another EM program. Resident reports of health concerns changed over time, with fewer residents reporting they were exceptionally healthy in 2016. Conclusions: Residents are, overall, happy with their career choice. However, concern was expressed regarding continued well-being in training. Sources of stress in training are identified. Strategies should be developed to decrease identified stressors and increase well-being among EM residents.