Thread by @MidAmericaMHTTC

Chancellor @jeffreypgold of @unmc opens up our town hall discussion on #wellbeing with a few words.

"The work that we do is difficult and being empathic healers can take a toll on our physical and mental health," he says. "Fostering wellness is not just an individual issue."

"As a health care leader, I know that supporting the well-being of our health care professionals begins with the organization, from our policies, practices and culture," Dr. Gold says.

Dr. Brandy Clarke, project director of our Center, and Dr. Jordan Thayer, a trainer for our Center, will be guiding this panel discussion.

Our panelists include:

🔹Juliann Sebastian, PhD, RN, FAAN, dean of + a professor within the UNMC College of Nursing
🔹Steven Wengel, MD, a professor in the Department of Psychiatry at UNMC + the first-ever assistant vice chancellor for campus wellness for UNMC

... as well as:

🔹Aria Fiat, PhD, a pediatric and school psychologist devoted to promoting equitable, accessible, and culturally responsive mental health care
🔹James Glenn, MSW, associate administrator and business strategist at Truman Medical Centers Behavioral Health

Moderator Dr. Thayer shares:

In a 2021 NurseGrid survey, 61% of nurses reported symptoms of #burnout and 20% reported intentions to leave the field in 2021 alone.

A 2021 Medscape survey revealed an increase from 80% of physicians reporting burnout before COVID to about 92%.

Dr. Sebastian shares how important it is to normalize well-being in the workplace. In the College of Nursing, she says faculty regularly begin class with mindfulness moments.

Other actionable ideas Dr. Sebastian shared include:
🔹5 minutes to focus on well-being or share gratitude at the beginning of executive council meetings.
🔹Focus on diversity, equity, + inclusion to respect and honor every person + benefit from multiple perspectives + ideas.

Dr. Wengel shares that a new initiative his team has begun for Mental Health Awareness Month in May is collecting testimonials from folks who talk about mental health struggles "to break the silence and break the stigma."

The response has been dramatic, Dr. Wengel says. Other medical professionals have been inspired to share their stories, in a culture that typically does not talk openly about mental health.

Dr. Aria Fiat describes policy-level solutions to well-being in the workplace.

"Systems change takes time," she stresses. A lot of the burnout-busting benefits we are seeing now "are seeds that were planed a long time ago."

At Cincinnati Children's, Dr. Fiat says, employees can take well-being courses for which they are monetarily reimbursed. This system-level leadership is key in crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic as well: Leaders can look at how to answer urgent concerns held by employees.

These concerns include childcare and general health, especially pre-vaccine.

Finally, Dr. Fiat urges clinicians model positive well-being behaviors.

James Glenn describes how societal pressures around race, gender, and socioeconomic status add to the stress endured by clients and caregivers.

It can be difficult to show vulnerability as a caregiver, Glenn says.

Well-being practices, such as taking shorter meetings and/or taking breaks to get outside for some fresh air, need to be on display at the leadership level, because that will give staff permission, as well.

As a business strategist, Glenn said he's learned that well-being doesn't always require a huge financial investment; sometimes it's culture change.

We need to be able to deploy "action triggers" to give peers permission to talk about their health. This means being vulnerable.

Dr. Fiat says that in regard to violence against Black individuals, workplaces cannot expect employees to come in and conduct business as usual. It's extremely important to acknowledge and be mindful of current events and their impact on employees.