Peer Support Ambassadors: A Program to Advance a Supportive and Inclusive Clinical Learning Environment

Abstract

Peer support is beneficial to physicians in distress, but few institutions have created formal programs that train residents and fellows to effectively support their peers. Existing curricula also do not address the differential experience of residents from historically excluded groups, who are more likely to experience distressing mistreatment and discrimination in the clinical learning environment. The Graduate Medical Education (GME) Peer Support Ambassador (PSA) Program aimed to address this gap by: (1) offering peer support skills and trauma-informed care training to a diverse cohort of resident leaders representing a range of specialties, (2) deploying these leaders to support their peers, and (3) facilitating opportunities for participants to train other residents in these skills. In the PSA program's inaugural year, 10 residents were trained in fundamentals of peer support, trauma-informed care, and the restorative mindset. The training increased participants' confidence and skills in these areas, their understanding of when to refer a co-resident for additional levels of support, and their awareness of resources for mental health care and addressing mistreatment and discrimination. Beyond the skills training, the program broadened participants' perspectives about other residents' experiences and helped them feel more connected to residents in other specialties. Opportunities to improve the PSA program include creating more opportunities for program participants to connect between sessions and after the training, publicizing the program more effectively to residents experiencing distress, and training a larger number of residents in peer support skills.