Meet and Greet Sessions: A Unique Virtual Opt-Out Approach to Support Trainee Well-Being

• Published in: Journal of graduate medical education Vol. 16; no. 5; pp. 611 - 615
• Main Authors: Anand, Uma, Kirshnit, Carol, Rea, Margaret
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education 01-10-2024
• Subjects: Brief Report; Counseling - education; Education, Medical, Graduate; Humans; Internship and Residency; Mental Health; Surveys and Questionnaires
• ISSN: 1949-8349; 1949-8357; 1949-8357
• DOI: 10.4300/JGME-D-24-00039.1

Interventions to support graduate medical education (GME) trainee well-being at the institutional level continue to be an area for continuous improvement.
To assess participation, feasibility, and acceptability of a virtual, individual, brief, nonevaluative opt-out approach to accessing mental health support for residents and fellows.
From 2021 to 2023, all GME programs at one large institution were invited to participate. During orientation, incoming trainees from programs that had communicated interest were prescheduled for optional 20-minute, virtual "meet and greet" sessions with a counselor from the hospital's Employee Assistance Program. Nonformal feedback was gathered using an anonymous 6-question survey.
Three hundred thirty-four residents and fellows from 12 of 74 (16%) participating GME programs were prescheduled for opt-out sessions over 3 academic years. Of the 334, 182 (54%) attended the sessions, 116 (35%) subsequently reached out to start counseling, and 108 (32%) responded to the survey. Each year, approximately 7 counselor hours were needed for the opt-out sessions per week over an 8-week period, which was feasible and added no extra cost. In the follow-up survey shared with all participants, 59 of 81 (73%) respondents reported that the sessions helped to reduce barriers to seeking mental health care.
During orientation, one-half of invited GME trainees participated in a virtual, individual, brief, nonevaluative meet and greet session with a counselor using an opt-out approach, and one-third subsequently requested counseling. Survey feedback was encouraging, and this approach can serve to help normalize culture surrounding accessing mental health services.