Programmatic and Institutional Paradigms for Building and Sustaining a Successful Wellness Program
Wesley A. Mayer, MD, presents actionable programmatic and institutional paradigms for building and sustaining a successful wellness program within one’s practice or institution while avoiding burnout. He begins by defining the elements of burnout, their impact on institution-wide productivity, and the high rate of burnout in the field of Urology.
Dr. Mayer then turns to the ACGME’s well-being requirements for Urology programs. While these requirements were intended to preserve the wellness of faculty and residents in theory, Dr. Mayer highlights that the lack of specific goals in institutional wellness programs can lead to “hedonistic” initiatives and inconsistent results.
Dr. Mayer then turns to how his own institution, the Scott Department of Urology at Baylor Medical School, sought to consistently address burnout. He outlines the paradigm created by his department, the tools they used to evaluate the success of their efforts, and the results.
He concludes by enumerating the steps other institutions can take to implement similar anti-burnout programs. He provides suggestions for national-level interventions, and reinforces the need for intentionality behind wellness programs.
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