adminIn a recent article from the American Medical Association (AMA), Stanford University School of Medicine’s Balance in Life program, a residency curriculum that focuses on physician burnout prevention and work-life balance, was commended for its efforts. The Pennsylvania Medical Society (PAMED) also offers similar tips and solutions to help Pennsylvania physicians maintain work-life balance.
The article touches on several key ways the Balance in Life program created happiness and wellness among its residents. They included leadership; hosting social gatherings and events; and providing resources to support mental, physical, and emotional health.
Leadership was a big factor in the wellness of residents at Stanford. The residents developed a relationship with a mentor who they met with often to discuss any problems or concerns they had. PAMED offers a variety of leadership resources to help Pennsylvania physicians and their health care teams enhance their leadership skills, including a year-round leadership academy, online/on-demand courses, onsite training, and discounts at national conferences and seminars.
Stanford’s program recognized the value a social life can play in balancing work and the life of a physician. Events such as unplanned happy hours and sports events built a bond between the residents and instructors.
PAMED is hosting a social and educational event in the form of its Annual Education Conference, being held the weekend of Oct. 23 in conjunction with PAMED’s 2015 House of Delegates meeting. Located in Hershey, Pa., the Conference also gives physicians the opportunity to go out in the evenings and enjoy socializing in the sweetest place on Earth, as well as network with colleagues.
The final aspect of Stanford’s program stressed physical and mental health. By providing resources and meetings to attend, the young physicians were taught the importance of taking care of themselves and learning how to avoid physician burnout.
The Foundation of the Pennsylvania Medical Society, the philanthropic arm of PAMED, is hosting a Resiliency Retreat Nov. 6-8 at the Nemacolin Resort and Spa in Farmington, Pa. This couples retreat, facilitated by David Steinman, MD, and Rita DeMaria, PhD, LMFT, LSW, offers you the opportunity to relax, learn, and earn CME at the same time. Learn more and register.
PAMED, along with the Foundaiton, also offers online, on demand educational tools to help with physician burnout. Topics include the signs of physician burnout and how to address them and strategies to promote workplace satisfaction and personal wellness. In addition, the Foundation offers support to physicians struggling with mental or physical adversities through its Physicians’ Health Programs (PHP).