When it comes to improving physician well-being, there’s more to it than just identifying problems. Creating meaningful, lasting change can be difficult, but pilot programs can give health care organizations a way to cut through the noise and focus on what works. If nothing else, such efforts restore a sense of agency to physicians who know they’re being heard and that they do have the power to improve their work environment.
The recently updated AMA STEPS Forward® toolkit “Scholars of Wellness” lays out eight steps for envisioning and implementing well-being pilot programs as part of a larger curriculum intended to create well-being “scholars” who can then take their leadership skills into their wider organization.
As the leader in physician well-being, the AMA is reducing physician burnout by removing administrative burdens and providing real-world solutions to help doctors rediscover the Joy in Medicine™.
Form a dyad leadership team
Key to the process is selecting the dyad who will lead the well-being initiatives. One should be a physician leader, which the toolkit calls the “wellness expert,” and the other an administrative leader working as the project manager.
While the physician lead develops the curriculum, identifies potential participants and focuses on the big picture, the administrative lead should take the forefront on logistics, budgeting and coordination. In many cases, the toolkit says, a chief resident would make an ideal physician lead.
Gain buy-in and funding
There is, of course, financial support that’s needed for well-being projects, but to secure funding, those projects also need buy-in on several fronts. Determining the leadership structure of an organization is the first way to get that buy-in, followed quickly by collaborating across a variety of departments.
Leaders in compliance, operations, finance and more not only can help get that necessary funding, but they can also help amass useful data and support changes once they’re enacted.
Ask for proposals, then evaluate
Promote the opportunity for physicians to pitch ideas, using many different channels to spread the word. The application for proposals should be simple, the toolkit suggests, even possibly being distributed along with the solicitations for ease of access.
Then, once the ideas start flowing in, they should be examined with an eye toward which ones dovetail with existing projects and priorities. Potential leaders should be evaluated for leadership qualities and personality traits that will make them ideal for guiding well-being initiatives.
Foster coaching and mentoring
Coaching has been shown to decrease physician burnout, according to the toolkit, but that’s not the only reason project leaders will benefit from guidance. They can use both a process improvement coach and a well-being coach to help them throughout the process. In many cases, leaders who get that kind of help with their project stay involved with well-being work even after their particular initiative ends.
Know and use dual goals
For a comprehensive approach to improving physician well-being, there will be two main goals: first, to find and train leaders who are educated about burnout and well-being, and second, to envision and enact new initiatives. If the organization is early in its journey, it may be harder to get the necessary funding, for example, for big projects.
But leadership development is still an important and useful goal. The leaders will learn how to listen, communicate and persuade in ways that will both improve the organization and make them champions for physician well-being.
Take the leap
Implementing pilot programs is important, even when they “fail,” as they provide helpful information for leaders and future projects. They also make it easier to persuade decision-makers to scale successful programs for wider implementation and give some control back to physicians.
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The most successful pilots are those that home in on one known driver of burnout and selectively target it in a way that’s specific to the organization, department and physicians it’s seeking to help.
Check in and measure progress
The key to maintaining focus amid a hectic schedule is accountability. With the year-long curriculum, the leaders should have at least one mid-point presentation and a final “graduation day” event in which they share their findings and work.
Use tried-and-tested models to expand
The toolkit uses the “Identify–Develop–Scale–Sustain” model, with the metaphor of growing a garden, to explain how to approach scaling programs for larger implementation. At each stage, the idea is nurtured, with developing best practices, securing funding and demonstrating small wins as key parts of the process. There’s also a trajectory for the physician leaders, allowing them to expand their skills and contribute to the well-being in their organizations.
AMA STEPS Forward open-access toolkits offer innovative strategies that allow physicians and their staff to thrive in the new health care environment. These resources can help you prevent burnout, create the organizational foundation for joy in medicine and improve practice efficiency.
Abstract submissions for the 2025 American Conference on Physician Health—which takes place Sept. 11–13 in Boston—are now open through Feb. 14. Physicians, medical students, residents and fellows are invited to submit abstracts on strategies that prioritize physician well-being, clinical efficiency practices and systemic changes that promote a healthy work environment in health care. Inspire change today and submit an abstract!
