The University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine has partnered with SOL Mental Health to ensure internal medicine residents can access mental healthcare.
AURORA, Colo. — The University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine has partnered with SOL Mental Health to ensure the newest doctors, the residents, have access to mental healthcare.
“This really has changed the lives of many of our residents,” Dr. Katie Suddarth, the associate program director, said.
Suddarth helps oversee the internal medicine residency program at Anschutz. Residents often work nights and weekends, have no say in their schedule, and are often away from home. Suddarth says they often don’t have time to consider their own well-being.
“What we’re really trying to do is give our residents the skills and knowledge to address burnout in their lives so they can hopefully have a really long, meaningful career,” she said.
That’s why the university is working with SOL Mental Health to ensure the internal medicine residents can access resources to try to take care of themselves. Appointments are put on their calendar for them, and SOL has waived cancellation penalties.
“Many are struggling with burnout and mental health challenges, and to have a partner so invested in helping this particular population is just tremendous, the impact of that,” Suddarth said.
“Physicians are humans just like everybody else and have needs just like everybody else, but sometimes with less capacity to take care of themselves,” said Mary Colemann with SOL Mental Health.
A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found 28.8% of residents experience depression, compared to about 8% of adults overall.
“If we can give them the skills early on to help navigate this, we think it’s really going to make a difference long term, in terms of their careers,” Suddarth said.
“We really believe intervening early we can help them with the coping mechanisms they need to sustain them throughout their career,” said Coleman.
Right now the partnership is for internal medicine residents, but they have plans to expand.