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The UAB Medicine 2022 Pulse Survey identified high distress and burnout across UAB for faculty and staff. After review of the results, the Department of Medicine created a TaskForce for Wellness (TFW) to explore and address concerns specific to our work environment. We surveyed all faculty and staff in the department to solicit broad input of concerns.

The areas below were raised across all subcommittees, were concerns for faculty and staff, and thus, were considered high priority areas for the department:

  • Salary: need for transparency in salary, be market-competitive, assess for changes in workload, and ensure inequities are addressed

  • Recognition and Advancement: need to promote retention with recognition of effort, and to create pathways for advancement

  • Workload: need to intentionally and proactively manage workload demands, including coverage needs, to decrease the burdens of overwork

  • Leadership Development: need to systematically assess leaders and allow opportunities to provide them feedback; provide opportunities for existing leaders and those seeking leadership roles to develop leadership skills

  • Culture and Engagement: need to engage department employees in their work, communicate changes to those impacted, ask for and include employee input; ensure bi-directional communication in Divisions and Department, ensure department provides respect and inclusion to all

In addition, the following areas were noted to be high priority areas due to the barriers for efficient and meaningful work and high frustration levels:

  • Inadequate and inconvenient parking for staff

  • Delays and barriers to research throughput by the OSP and IRB

  • Delays, inefficiencies, and barriers to clinical care by current processes with the Access Center, appointment templates hindering patient access, and an overwhelming number and complexity of portal messages

Next Steps:

  1. Wellness Council: The Department of Medicine (DOM) will create a Wellness Council co-chaired by faculty and staff leader who will be selected by an RFA. The Wellness Council will work to advance the high priority areas identified by the TaskForce.

  2. Division Wellness efforts: DOM divisions will solicit input of faculty and staff and determine three action plans that will be advanced over the upcoming year. Division meetings will provide bidirectional communication to division members and DOM leadership.

  3. Improved Communication: 

    • We have developed a logo for DOM faculty and staff to readily identify communication related to the TFW and Wellness Council

    • Medical Grand Rounds sessions will provide a venue for addressing high priority areas and Town Hall

    • An online MailBox will provide opportunities for anonymous and identified reporting of concerns and ideas

Access the FULL REPORT of the Department of Medicine TaskForce for Wellness.