Dermatology Residency Applicant Self-Reported Stressors and Coping Mechanisms by Sex, Race, and Geographic Region during the 2020-2021 Application Cycle.

OBJECTIVES: Our aim was to identify self-reported stressors and coping mechanisms during the 2020-2021 application cycle by dermatology residency applicants. We hypothesized that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) would be the most reported stressor. METHODS: During the 2020-2021 application season, the Mayo Clinic Florida Dermatology residency program sent a supplemental application to each applicant requesting that they describe a challenging life situation and how they handled it. Comparisons of self-reported stressors and self-expressed coping mechanisms according to sex, race, and geographic region were performed. RESULTS: The most common stressors reported were academic (18.4%), family crisis (17.7%), and COVID-19 (10.5%). The most frequent coping mechanisms expressed were perseverance (22.3%), seeking community (13.7%), and resilience (11.5%). The coping mechanism of diligence was observed more often in females than in males (2.8% vs 0.0%, P = 0.045). First in medicine was more often observed in Black or African American students (12.5% vs 0%, P = 0.001), immigrant experience was more often observed in Black or African American and Hispanic students (16.7% and 11.8% vs 3.1%, P = 0.021), and natural disaster was reported more often in Hispanic students (26.5% vs 0.5%, P < 0.001) as compared with White applicants. By geography, applicants in the northeastern United States were more likely to report the COVID-19 pandemic as a stressor (19.5%, P = 0.049), and the natural disaster stressor was more often reported by applicants from outside the continental United States (45.5%, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Stressors reported by dermatology applicants in the 2020-2021 cycle included academic, family crisis, and the COVID-19 pandemic. The type of stressor reported varied by race/ethnicity and geographic location of the applicant.

Sleep Disturbance Among COVID-19 Post-hospitalized Patients

Introduction COVID-19 primarily affects the respiratory system, however, a number of clinical sequela have emerged in patients recovered from COVID-19. Besides the most commonly reported symptoms of fatigue and dyspnea, early studies have found that sleep disturbance is also a common complaint. The aim of this study is to survey for sleep disturbance, degree of fatigue and daytime sleepiness in a group of post-hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Methods Patients who were discharged from Mayo Clinic hospitals after COVID-19 hospitalization were recruited in this study. Patients who have an existing diagnosis of sleep apnea or other sleep disorders were excluded from this study. Mayo Clinic patients who never had COVID-19 infection, nor a history of sleep disorders or other sleep disorders were also recruited as controls. Patients completed Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), and Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) questionnaires via REDCap. Wilcoxon rank sum test was used to evaluate the difference between cases and controls in continuous variables and Fisher’s exact test was used to compare categorical variables. Multivariable linear regression model was used to evaluate the difference in sleep and fatigue scores between cases and controls with baseline characters adjusted. All tests were two-sided with p value <0.05 considered statistically significant. Results A total of 62 patients who completed the questionnaires were included in the analysis. Among them, 33 had COVID-19. Cases were significantly older with higher BMI compared to controls. Global PSQI score (median=10 vs 6, p=0.015), ESS total score (median=8 vs 5, p=0.018) and FSS total score (median=30 vs 22, p=0.009) were all significantly higher for cases compared to control patients. After adjusting for age and BMI, the difference stayed statistically significant. The mean difference between cases vs controls was found to be 2.7 (95%CI:0.2-5.2, p=0.038), 2.93 (95% CI: 0.66-5.2, p=0.014), and 12.62 (95% CI:5.22-20.03, p=0.001) for PSQI, ESS, and FSS scores, respectively. Conclusion Preliminary results showed that sleep disturbance (PSQI) and daytime symptoms (measured by ESS and FSS) are found to be significantly higher among post COVID-19 hospitalized patients compared to controls. Support (If Any) This work is supported by the Mayo Clinic in Florida Department of Medicine Catalyst for Advancing in Academics award and the Mayo Clinic in Florida Research Accelerator for Clinicians Engaged in Research Program.

UTILIZING COACHING TO DEVELOP WOMEN PHYSICIAN LEADERS

Women physicians continue to find multiple barriers to advancing into leadership positions. These barriers include lack of mentoring, adequate role models, provisions to take leadership courses, provisions to attend leadership meetings, and their own lack of confidence.1 The healthcare industry is making small strides but there is still much to be done. With the continued lack of organizational support, women physicians must find other non-traditional leadership growth opportunities such as coaching. A conscious approach to coaching can address the unique challenges of women leaders such as organizational context, work-life integration, career-life transitions, and establishing leadership presence, including self-efficacy and influencing skills.