Are Personal Resources the Key to Improving Resident Performance?

Abstract

Negative outcomes in surgical medical residency, such as burnout, pathological stress, and abandonment of specialization, have been addressed by modifying the work and educational environment of the student to improve performance during training. However, due to the low effectiveness of strategies used in medical education and in order to change the perspective of the problem and offer complementary solutions, methodologies based on positive psychology have been incorporated. Thus, the personal resources of the student are part of these growing research alternatives, as their optimization allows a higher level of interaction with their learning environment, as well as control over their academic and work performance. ‘Job crafting’ is supported by the job demands-resources theory. This article provides a critical and reflective analysis of personal resources and the favorable role they play in the regulation of work, learning, and well-being of the resident as part of a proposal towards a new approach to the problem of work performance during the postgraduate academic training process. © 2024 Universidad de Antioquia.