The Use of Team-Building Activities to Build a Better Resident

We implemented team building activities to build a better resident during our orientation process and we have refined the choice of activities each year since. Resident satisfaction with their team building actives provided feedback to improve the following years' experience. While there is no definite way to demonstrate the effectiveness of our team building initiative, our expectation is it will improve the residency experience and work environment, and ultimately, result in better patient care. We focus on five aspects of team building – personal history sharing, creativity and imagination, common bonds, cooperation, and shared experience. The purpose of this paper is to recommend activities in each of these areas based on our experience.