Clinician well-being is a priority for Ascension Medical Group

NUMEROUS RESOURCES ARE NOW AVAILABLE TO SUPPORT A CULTURE OF WELLNESS

Ascension is committed to promoting a healthcare environment that supports clinicians in their calling to provide compassionate, personalized care to patients and families, and enriches our clinician community with a sense of balance, meaning and life purpose.

“As Ascension Medical Group (AMG) continues its journey to become the preferred place for clinicians to practice, we recognize that clinician experience is closely tied to clinician well-being, which can be achieved in part by fostering a culture that inspires and nurtures clinicians personally and professionally,” said Baligh Yehia, MD, MPP, FACP, Senior Vice President, Ascension, and President, AMG.

Since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, the work of fostering clinician well-being has never been more important. Even before the pandemic, more than 50% of clinicians treating patients reported that they had experienced symptoms of burnout, “a syndrome characterized by high emotional exhaustion, high depersonalization (i.e., cynicism), and a low sense of personal accomplishment from work.” (This data was included in “Taking Action Against Clinician Burnout: A Systems Approach to Professional Well-Being,” National Academy of Sciences.)

Creating a culture of wellness first requires breaking down the stigma often associated with clinicians asking for help, according to Jennifer Stanley, MD, practicing family physician at Ascension St. Vincent in Indiana and Chair of the System-wide AMG Clinician Engagement and Well-Being Council.

“I’m a doctor and I’m a mom, and so I generally put everybody else’s needs in front of mine,” she said. “As clinicians, it’s just part of what we do. But we need to learn to pause and prioritize our own well-being without feeling selfish or ashamed.”

One way AMG is offering support for physicians, advanced practice providers, pharmacists and medical residents in prioritizing their own emotional health is through the Well-Being Index. This brief, anonymous and confidential online self-assessment provides immediate individualized feedback including tools and both in-market and System-level resources to address well-being.

Setting up an account is easy and completing the Well-Being Index takes under three minutes. Download the Well-Being Index app for Apple or Android or use the QR code below.

“While we continue to look at practice efficiency interventions to help restore work-life balance among our clinicians, we can’t lose sight of the importance of self-care,” Dr. Yehia said. “We know that the only way our clinicians can continue to take good care of our patients is by taking care of themselves.”

USING THE MYCARE WEBSITE

All associates can take advantage of Ascension’s many and varied support resources by visiting the myCare website at ascension.org/mycare. On the site, you will find:

• The Ascension Wysa app, a pocket companion for holistic, day-to-day well-being. • Information on the Employee Assistance Program, which is available all day, every day, with up to eight free counseling sessions. • Virtual Spiritual Care, which enables associates and their immediate family to speak to a chaplain any time of the day or night free of charge. • The Associate Events Calendar, which provides opportunities to pause during the day for prayer, peer support, meditation and more.

Learn more about how Ascension is prioritizing clinician well-being by watching this short video featuring personal stories from our clinicians.