An Internal Medicine Intern Retreat to Facilitate Transition to PGME and Promote Peer Interaction

Background: Interns in the internal medicine program at American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC) come from diverse educational backgrounds based on American, French, and Egyptian systems, similar to other settings in the Middle East. To help this diverse group of trainees integrate into their new role, the institution launched an intern retreat in 2014 and repeated the event 3 times to date.

Objective: We describe the experience with the AUBMC intern retreat and discuss the format and interns' perceptions of the benefits of the event.

Methods: The retreat was divided into workshops and team-building sessions. Workshop topics focused on communication, teamwork, time management, survival tips, patient-physician interaction, and resident well-being. Fun activities were meant to strengthen peer-to-peer relationship and included a treasure hunt, Jeopardy game, and basketball.

Results: Retreats took place in 2014, 2016, and 2017, and involved 72 of 102 interns (71%), as participation was optional. The 2015 retreat had to be canceled due to logistical problems. Of 72 eligible interns, 61 (85%) responded to the evaluation survey. The majority rated the activity as fun or interesting; sessions with the highest ratings included communication, patient-physician interaction, and resident well-being. There was unanimous agreement to make the retreat a yearly tradition. Each year, we collected feedback and made changes to further improve the retreat experience.

Conclusions: The retreat is now an established activity. In an institution that accepts interns from different backgrounds, the retreat has strengthened peer-to-peer relations, improved communication, and contributed to a collegial and supportive work environment.