What we don’t talk about when we talk about professionalism: Resilience (14 March 2019)

Summary

The General Medical Council views resilience as a critical part of becoming a “professional”.  All graduating medical students should have proved that they are resilient, and NHS job specifications expect it. They define resilience as “the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties.” It implies “toughness”, and an untiring effort to do more, to work faster, and to be better. 

The Medical Schools Council suggests screening for resilience in interviews, and now once admitted, medical students receive formal resilience training as part of the curriculum. The GMC’s “Professional Behaviour and Fitness to Practise” guidance underlines the importance of emotional resilience, which it defines as an “ability to adapt and be resourceful, mindful, and effective in complex, uncertain, or stressful situations.”

This sounds impressive, but is resilience a trainable skill? Katherine Ripullone and Kate Womersley discuss this in this BMJ Opinion article.