Fellow Wellness & Resilience
San Diego lends itself to well-being, as a world-famous vacation destination and vibrant, diverse, and economically thriving metropolitan area in beautiful Southern California. San Diego offers beaches along the stunning California coastline, mountains, high desert as well as proximity to Mexico. Furthermore, San Diego boasts one of the most temperate climates in the world, allowing for outdoor activities year-round . Most residents live within several miles of UCSD Hillcrest Medical Center, and although they rotate at various hospitals in San Diego and Imperial county, traffic congestion is significantly less of an issue here compared with other major metropolitan areas (especially Los Angeles or the San Francisco Bay Area). UCSD provides residents generous salary and clinical stipends relative to the required hours, which in addition to a generous benefits package largely offsets the cost of an additional year of training as well as the cost of living of San Diego, which still remains more affordable than it's California counterparts further north in LA and SF.
The DEM faculty, fellows and residents (as well as their family members) interact and socialize frequently. We are dedicated to promoting each other’s optimal health and well-being. The DEM residency leadership, including the program directors and chief residents, are highly attuned to and responsive to resident and fellow concerns, and have actively participated in EM wellness/resilience initiatives at the regional and national level.
Quarterly wellness group meetings are sponsored by the DEM, and include WEM, faculty/residents with young families, and events for spouses/significant others. Some examples of wellness activities available in San Diego include jazz in the sculpture garden, free yoga in Balboa Park, free Tuesdays at local museums, free outdoor summer concerts in nearby parks, excellent hiking & bike trails, and world class beaches & surfing (eg. La Jolla, Sunset Cliffs, Del Mar/Encinitas).
We are committed to the wellness of our fellows and faculty. All fellows are invited to participate in all wellness events held by the Department of Emergency Medicine and there are multiple resources available to trainees at UCSD.