Year 3. August 5. Our Commitment to Wellness.
Today marks the launch of our 2024 series of UCLA Department of Medicine (DoM) Wellness Townhalls. Over the next few months, we will host five wellness focused townhalls where faculty and staff are invited to learn about the latest in our wellness initiatives, our next steps, and receive valuable feedback from you, about how we can continue to support an environment where all can thrive. As we reflect on our journey, it is clear that we are making progress since our wellness initiatives began in 2022. At that time, over half of our faculty reported experiencing some degree of burnout. The increasing burnout and turnover rates underscored a pressing need for change to support the long-term success of our community members.
In response, we created a well-being committee who focused on three crucial areas to enhance wellness in the department: fostering better communication and community, increasing physician autonomy, and bolstering physician support. Listening sessions, like the wellness townhalls, became our cornerstone for gathering valuable feedback and driving meaningful change in our department.
Thanks to your active involvement and dedication, we have witnessed encouraging progress. Within a year of launching our wellness initiatives, our follow-up wellness survey revealed a 50% improvement in retention and a 10% reduction in burnout. As we move forward, it is important to reaffirm our commitment: decisions made at the department level—including those related to compensation, professional development, clinical expansion and support for clinical and research operations—are evaluated through the lens of their impact on faculty and staff wellness and retention. We will continue to monitor and address both the causes of and solutions to burnout.
In 2023, we established the UCLA Department of Medicine’s Office of Wellness, led by Chief Wellness Officer Sun M. Yoo, MD, MPH. Our wellness leaders have been tirelessly working to implement changes that support autonomy, enhance flexibility, and ultimately drive productivity and satisfaction among our community members. The progress we have achieved highlights the critical importance of building systems that prioritize well-being.
I invited three wellness leaders in the department of medicine to share more about our efforts over the past two years and what our goals are for the future. I encourage you to delve deeper into our efforts, understand their impact, and join us in this critical work. Together, we are building a stronger, more resilient department that thrives on well-being and collective success.
Our Vision for DoM Wellness
While burnout and physician job satisfaction have been studied for decades, the COVID pandemic took a tremendous toll on healthcare professionals around the world, leading to an unprecedented number of individuals leaving their jobs. Senior Executive Clinical Vice Chair Tisha S. Wang, MD witnessed the pandemic's emotional, physical, and mental impact firsthand as a pulmonary and critical care physician on the front lines of the pandemic. She was motivated to act to support her colleagues by becoming an early champion of wellness within the DoM. Today, an effort that began with wellness listening sessions has grown into a multifaceted strategy which is regularly assessing wellness metrics in the department and implementing strategies that promote systemic change. While we have achieved much, we still have work to do and Dr. Wang shares with us her vision for our wellness efforts in the department of medicine.
Faculty Support & Autonomy
As part of our comprehensive wellness efforts, we prioritized enhancing faculty support through several targeted initiatives. We expanded our peer-to-peer coaching program to provide valuable assistance with workflow optimization, billing processes, and the electronic health record (EHR) system. This effort fostered a collaborative environment where physicians can share insights and solutions. We also supported the evaluation of a pilot randomized clinical trial to evaluate small group and individual professional coaching on physician burnout, which showed a significant decrease in physician burnout and improved work life integration. To bolster faculty support and streamline administrative tasks, we launched the DoM InBasket task force comprised of leaders from the Office of Wellness, Clinical Operations, Pharmacy, ISS, and Quality, to evaluate and expand InBasket support programs. One example is expansion of the pharmacy refill program that enables pharmacists to handle refill requests, thus reducing the time physicians spend on these routine tasks. These measures collectively enhance support systems, allowing physicians to focus more on patient care and less on administrative challenges.
To bolster physician autonomy, we introduced several key strategies aimed at providing greater control and flexibility in their professional lives. These include implementing sustainability blocks, allowing physicians to utilize these times as personally needed. Additionally, we introduced five wellness days annually to give physicians dedicated time for self-care and recovery. Lastly, we offered greater flexibility in the use of education time, empowering physicians to tailor their professional development to fit their personal and professional goals. These measures are designed to enhance autonomy, reduce stress, and support a more sustainable and satisfying practice.
We understand that wellness can have a different meaning for each of us and that we each have unique needs. Physician Wellness Director Joshua N. Khalili, MD and Dr. Wang share with us two special initiatives that have helped support the personal and professional development of our early to mid-career faculty.
Measuring our Strengths and Opportunities: 2024 Wellness Survey
It is critical to ensure that the wellness work being implemented in the department is making a difference. All that we do is being regularly assessed for effectiveness. We gain great insight through our annual wellness survey, and I am excited to kick off our wellness townhalls with some encouraging news about our most recent results.
This year, we achieved an impressive 82.6% response rate to our wellness survey, reflecting incredibly strong engagement from our department. We are seeing positive trends in burnout rates, with almost a 20% decrease in burnout since 2022. Gender-specific data also shows progress: burnout among men and women have decreased, with over 25% decrease in women. While challenges remain, these improvements underscore the positive impact of our wellness initiatives and our collective commitment to fostering a healthier work environment.
Fostering Better Communication and Community
To enhance communication in our department, we implemented a range of strategic initiatives designed to foster a supportive and connected community. In addition to launching multiple townhalls, we continue our annual DoM retreat to strengthen bonds with our colleagues. To further support our divisions, we established wellness funds to address their unique needs and challenges. Our commitment to recognizing and celebrating our people is reflected in our department communications, which highlight individual and collective achievements. Finally, we created a central website dedicated to wellness resources, providing easy access to tools and information that support our department’s well-being. These efforts are integral to building a cohesive, resilient, and thriving department.
While we are proud to celebrate this work, we recognize that we still have a lot more to do. Our wellness leaders share with us the future of wellness in the DoM.
Wellness Champions
As part of our ongoing wellness efforts, we are thrilled to introduce our new DoM Wellness Champions, who will play a pivotal role in advancing our wellness initiatives across divisions. These dedicated individuals will set division-specific wellness goals, enhancing engagement and participation within their respective areas. They will co-lead focus groups, spearhead targeted wellness initiatives, and organize and promote community-building events. Additionally, our wellness champions will facilitate the sharing of vital wellness information within their divisions and actively contribute to the department’s strategic wellness pillars. They are also committed to providing support and connecting faculty with the appropriate resources to ensure a comprehensive approach to well-being. With their leadership, we are confident that we will continue to make significant strides in fostering a supportive and thriving environment for all.
Before I conclude this week’s reflection, I would like to extend my gratitude to each LEADER who has contributed to our wellness efforts. Your participation has made a significant impact over these past two years. This is tremendous progress, and I hope that you will continue to be engaged as we continue to set wellness standards in academic medicine.
I am pleased to share that we have shared our experiences and recommendations with the broader community through a paper that Tisha and I co-authored with wellness leaders from across the nation. I invite you to read it here:
Dale
P.S.
My children and grandchildren are visiting! So is my mom! Although, there is more activity and a little chaos around the house, it has been tremendous for our Wellness.
Four generations of Abels.
Celebrating their Jamaican heritage for their great grandmother.
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