The Job Demands-Resources model: a framework for fostering trainee engagement on the inpatient wards

Abstract

The inpatient ward is a cornerstone of medical training but is increasingly strained by high levels of trainee burnout and withering educational engagement. The Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) model offers a useful framework for understanding these challenges. The model categorizes aspects of work as either demands or resources and describes how mismatches between the two can lead to exhaustion and impaired performance, while the right balance (high demands with commensurate resources) promotes work engagement and professional growth. Although widely used in other work settings, the JD-R model has seen limited application in medical education. This perspective describes the JD-R model and illustrates how it can be applied to evaluate educational practices on the inpatient wards. These practices can function either as demands or as resources depending on how they are implemented. A day-in-the-life vignette illustrates the application of the JD-R model, highlighting opportunities for attending physicians and program leaders to shape the work environment in ways that promote demand-resource balance and foster trainee engagement and learning on the inpatient wards.