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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · AJP Rep 2022; 12(01): e64-e68
DOI: 10.1055/s-0041-1742268
Case Report

Financial Literacy and Physician Wellness: Can a Financial Curriculum Improve an Obstetrician/Gynecologist Resident and Fellow's Well-Being?

Chase R. Cawyer 
1   Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Center for Women's Reproductive Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama
,
Christina Blanchard
2   Statistician I, Center for Women's Reproductive Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama
,
Kenneth H. Kim
3   Division of Gynecology Oncology, Center for Women's Reproductive Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama
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Abstract

Objective This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a financial literacy curriculum on resident and fellow's sense of well-being and financial stress.

Study Design This single institution pilot study prospectively enrolled obstetrician/gynecologist (OB/GYN) medical trainees (residents and fellows) to take part in a five-part personal financial literacy curriculum during the 2019 to 2020 academic year. Topics covered included the following: financial education and its relationship to personal well-being, overview of financial terms and principles, budgeting, debt planning, and investing and giving. Primary outcomes were the improvement in well-being as measured by the Expanded Well-Being Index (E-WBI) and financial stress as measured by the Financial Stress Scale-College Version (FSS-CV) survey.

Results Of the 35 residents and fellows who participated in the study, 21 (60%) completed the postintervention survey. After course completion, there was significant improvement in the individual's E-WBI (p < 0.05) and no significant improvement in their FSS-CV (p = 0.06). After completing the course, trainees agreed that financial literacy improved their sense of well-being (p = 0.018).

Conclusion Cultivating financial literacy is associated with an improvement in the sense of well-being in residents and fellows and should be considered for inclusion in other graduate medical education (GME) programs.

Keywords

physician burnout - personal financial planning - financial literacy - physician wellness


Publication History

Received: 04 September 2020

Accepted: 08 October 2021

Article published online:
04 February 2022

© 2022. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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