CULTIVATING A CULTURE OF WELLNESS
Emory Radiology is dedicated to fostering the well-being of its faculty, staff, and trainees. Rebecca Seidel, MD, an associate professor and member of the American College of Radiology’s (ACR) Well-being Committee and the Emory School of Medicine Wellness Working Group, chairs Emory Radiology’s Wellness Committee (#EmoryRadWell). The highlights of the 14-member committee’s work in 2019-2020 follow.
Left to right: Roger Loret Gerard, Rebecca Seidel, and My-Linh Nguyen
Keys to Creating a Culture of Employee Well-Being
Resource: The Well-Being Index
Action: Improving Ergonomics
Added a session on ergonomics to the New Faculty Welcome Retreat.
Action: Combatting Sitting Disease
The Physician Wellness Luncheon series drew faculty and trainees out of their chairs in the reading room for wellness-focused presentations and activities. A pilot Yoga in the Reading Room series introduced on-duty faculty and trainees to an option for combatting the effects of prolonged sitting.
Focus: Emotional Wellness and COVID-19
Dr. Seidel curated an online library of resources to help Emory colleagues deal with the emotional and physical pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic. The trove of online resources proved so popular, the American College of Radiology created a page on its website to provide the same information to radiologists across the country. See https://www.acr.org/Member-Resources/Benefits/Well-Being/COVID-19-Well-Being-Resources
Spotlight: Resident Wellness
Residents Neena Davisson, MD, and My-Linh Nguyen, MD, co-chaired the Resident Wellness Subcommittee, which was formed in 2019 to address trainee well-being.
- Prioritize well-being in the departmental strategic plan.
- Use validated tools to assess needs and progress.
- Set measurable targets/goals for improving well-being.
- Leverage resources/programs at Emory and beyond.
- Apply Lean and EmPower principles to improve workflow and reduce waste.
- Address physical, operational, and psychosocial factors.
- Partner in action: Emory University School of Medicine, Emory Healthcare, Emory Faculty and Staff Assistance Program.
Resource: The Well-Being Index
- MedEd Solutions product.
- Nine question survey based on validated Mayo Clinic research.
- Measures six dimensions of well-being and distress and compares to national benchmarks.
- Customizes recommendations of resources to improve well-being.
- 51% of residents engaged since February 2020.
- 36% of faculty engaged since July 2020.
- Anonymous, aggregated data identifies departmental trends.
Action: Improving Ergonomics
Added a session on ergonomics to the New Faculty Welcome Retreat.
Action: Combatting Sitting Disease
The Physician Wellness Luncheon series drew faculty and trainees out of their chairs in the reading room for wellness-focused presentations and activities. A pilot Yoga in the Reading Room series introduced on-duty faculty and trainees to an option for combatting the effects of prolonged sitting.
Focus: Emotional Wellness and COVID-19
Dr. Seidel curated an online library of resources to help Emory colleagues deal with the emotional and physical pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic. The trove of online resources proved so popular, the American College of Radiology created a page on its website to provide the same information to radiologists across the country. See https://www.acr.org/Member-Resources/Benefits/Well-Being/COVID-19-Well-Being-Resources
Spotlight: Resident Wellness
Residents Neena Davisson, MD, and My-Linh Nguyen, MD, co-chaired the Resident Wellness Subcommittee, which was formed in 2019 to address trainee well-being.
- First Resident Wellness Retreat (January 2020): Half-day event with wellness talks by faculty, team-building exercises, and informal socializing.
- Winter Doldrums Week (Feb 2020): Emory residents joined residents around the country for activities shared on social media using #RadResCamaRADerie. Included cycling, cooking, and yoga classes, volunteering at the Atlanta Community Food Bank, and warm cookies and milk from the department after noon conference.
- Wellness Houses (Ongoing): Residents are grouped into four themed wellness houses to compete for points for volunteer, fitness, and social activities.
- Wellness-Themed Conferences (Ongoing): Lectures and activities included in residents’ noon conference schedule.
- Pandemic Virtual Wellness (Spring 2020): Yoga, socials, and more via Zoom during COVID-19 lockdown.
- Second Wellness Retreat (Fall 2020): Virtual event with luncheon, guest speaker, breakout sessions with wellness houses, and an office stretching session.