Grit, A Component of resident well-being

Introduction: Trainees experiencing burnout, depression, or career dissatisfaction challenge educators and may have patient care consequences. Grit, defined as the “perseverance and passion for long-term goals,” buffers against hopelessness and quantifies an aspect of personality shown to predict fewer career changes. Higher grit has been associated with positive outcomes in physicians, including lower burnout rates. Our objective was to determine the correlation between emergency medicine (EM) resident Short Grit Scale (Grit-S) scores and components of well-being: burnout, a positive depression screen, and career satisfaction. Methods: This was a prospective, multicenter trial involving ten urban/suburban EM residencies. The subjects were PGY 1-4 EM residents. Surveys administered included Grit-S, Maslach Burnout Inventory, Prime-MD PHQ-2 depression screen, and a career satisfaction scale. Correlation and regression analysis were utilized to assess the relationship between residents’ grit and well-being characteristics. Results: 434 residents were available to participate; 49 were excluded for not completing a Grit-S (88% participation). The mean Grit-S score was 3.62. Grit correlated negatively with burnout (r = -0.22, n = 355, p < 0.001), and positive depression screen (r = -0.16, n = 382, p = 0.001). Grit correlated positively with career satisfaction (r = 0.15, n = 381, p = 0.003). Conclusion: EM residents with higher grit are less likely to experience burnout or screen positive for depression; they are more likely to have high career satisfaction. These findings could be useful in the early identification of residents at higher risk for burnout, depression, and dissatisfaction with their careers.