The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted health care systems worldwide, increasing stress and burnout for health care providers. Surgical residents—doctors training to become surgeons—were especially vulnerable because of long work hours, years of training, and limited time for rest. Researchers at The Institute for Education Research at UHN identified how the pandemic exposed the challenges within the current surgical training structure that hinder residents' well-being.
The research team surveyed 82 general surgery residents at the University of Toronto about their experience with burnout, perceptions of wellness support, and overall mental health during the pandemic. The results of the survey highlighted three key findings:
● Training culture lacks wellness support—the rigid, demanding structure of surgical programs left little room for self-care.
● Limited time off—staffing shortages during the pandemic often led to cancelled vacations and time-off.
● Ineffective wellness education—mandatory wellness modules and activities felt burdensome, and residents preferred protected free time.
The study found that some barriers to wellness are embedded in the culture and structure of surgical training and were further intensified by the pandemic. Addressing these issues requires systemic changes and is essential for preventing burnout and creating more sustainable training environments for future surgeons.
Idil Bilgen and Dr. Matthew Castelo are co-first authors of the study. At the time of the study, Idil Bilgen was a medical student at the School of Medicine at Koç University in Turkey. Dr. Matthew Castelo was a general surgery resident and is currently a Breast Surgical Oncology fellow at the University of Toronto.
Dr. Tulin Cil, corresponding author of the study, is a Clinician Investigator at UHN’s The Institute for Education Research and an Associate Professor in the Department of Surgery at the University of Toronto.
This work was supported by UHN Foundation.
#Bilgen I, #Castelo M, Reel E, Nguyen MA, Greene B, Lu J, Brar S, #Cil T. Barriers to Wellness Among General Surgery Residents During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Qualitative Analysis of Survey Responses. JMIR Perioper Med. 2025 Nov 24. doi: 10.2196/72819.
# These authors contributed equally to the study.