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Description

Background

  • The ACGME Common Program Requirements emphasize resident well-being and expect GME programs to support resident mental health.1
  • There are limited specific guidelines on how mental health support should be delivered, resulting in wide variability.1,3
  • Research on resident-specific mental health services is limited, making best practices difficult to define.
  • Medical students typically receive care through student counseling centers; but this support ends after graduation.3
  • Residents occupy a dual role as both hospital employees and learners, creating gaps in existing support models, as employee assistance programs are often underutilized by residents.
  • Residents experience higher rates of burnout than age-matched peers in the general population.4
  • Suicide is the leading cause of resident death; nearly one-third of interns experience a depressive episode.2,5
  • Stigma and barriers such as time constraints, cost, and waitlists limit help-seeking.4
  • Early identification and treatment of mental health conditions improve outcomes.4
  • Residency-specific demands—including long work hours, limited autonomy to take time off, mandatory educational activities, and limited backup—require solutions beyond traditional mental health care.

Publication Date

2-11-2026

Keywords

GME, resident well-being, resident counseling center, resident mental health

Disciplines

Medicine and Health Sciences | Psychiatry

Comments

Presented at the 2026 ACGME Annual Educational Conference: Meaning in Medicine.

Resident Mental Health: Creating an Innovative, Sustainable, and Scalable Counseling Program

Included in

Psychiatry Commons

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