Wellness
Fellow wellness is incredibly important to our program and to Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine. We have an active Graduate Medical Education (GME) Consortium that aims to improve fellows’ well-being by developing individual and organizational strategies to improve health, reduce stress and burnout, and enhance the joy and meaning in their work. Fellows have access to free psychotherapy, psychiatric care, discounted rates to fitness centers, and other programs that support well-being. You can learn more about these benefits and resources that the GME Consortium provides on their website, GME Consortium Wellbeing.
International Medical Graduates Wellness Initiative
The International Medical Graduates (IMG) Wellness Initiative is made up of residents, fellows, and attendings across multiple medical specialties who aim to improve the well-being of IMG trainees at WashU by creating institutional support, advocacy, and a networking system for IMG trainees. You can learn more about this initiative and the resources available on their website, IMG Wellness Initiative.
Link: New York Times 36 hours in Saint Louis
“The city, with its once-quiet, now-vibrant downtown, offers new restaurants, microbreweries, and a rich array of cultural venues, including a museum that pays tribute to the blues.”
St. Louis
The City of St. Louis offers an excellent living environment, providing our fellows with opportunities to explore and appreciate the area. We pride ourselves on having a close-knit fellowship where colleagues become family. Plus, we love our fellows’ partners, pets, and kids! You can often find us enjoying the beautiful weather in one of our many public parks, cheering for the Cardinals baseball team or the Blues hockey team, dining at a James Beard-nominated restaurant, or hanging out at one of the city’s many free festivals or cultural events.
The program provides fellows with four weeks of paid vacation time off each academic year, or a fraction thereof if the appointment period is less.
The program provides fellows one week of paid conference time off each academic year, or a fraction thereof if the appointment period is less. Conference time off is only for attending an academic conference.
The program provides fellows with two weeks of paid sick time off each academic year, or a fraction thereof if the appointment period is less. Sick time off consists of moments of personal illness or due to your medical condition (including medical conditions related to pregnancy and childbirth). Sick time off to care for a family member who is ill or has a medical condition is also acceptable.
Fellows needing more than 14 consecutive days of non-vacation time off should meet with the Program Coordinator and Training Director to discuss the leave process. As required by program and ABPN guidelines, approved leave may extend your training period.
Fellows who have used all their vacation and sick days for approved medical, parental, or caregiver reasons may apply for an added two weeks of paid personal time off. This time can be used on an approved leave of absence or taken as vacation or sick days during the current or following academic year and is available once throughout their training period.
The program offers fellows three days of paid bereavement time off for each immediate family member. Bereavement may be used for attending funerals or managing related arrangements, such as estate settlement. Immediate family members eligible under this policy include parents, siblings, spouse or domestic partner, children (biological, legal guardianship, or adopted), grandparents, great-grandparents, and grandchildren. A domestic partner is defined as an individual residing with a romantic partner without a legally recognized union. The policy also encompasses foster, domestic relationships, in-law, and step relationships of any of the family members.