Medicine Grand Rounds, Samantha Meltzer-Brody & Amy Weil “An Institutional Program to Increase Physician Engagement”

Awareness, Assessment and Treatment of Burnout

Medicine is facing an era of rapid and continuous change in nearly every way. The profession of medicine also is approaching an epidemic of physician burnout — a complex and systemic issue that is receiving increased attention from both within and outside the field of healthcare. Novel and systemic approaches are needed that directly address the drivers of physician burnout and add wellness as a critical metric to the collective performance of healthcare institutions.

Dr. Samantha Meltzer-Brody, associate professor of psychiatry, will explain the new UNC School of Medicine initiative that adopts the Quadruple aim. She also will detail the specific components of this comprehensive, institution-wide program that seeks to increase physician engagement and application to the Department of Internal Medicine.

As national conversations about physician burnout continue to grow louder, Meltzer-Brody knows there’s not a simple solution to the problem. “Addressing physician burnout requires a dialogue that is both bottom-up and top-down,” said Meltzer-Brody. “This takes an all-hands-on-deck effort.”

Building Resilience: Current and Future Wellness Programming, Emerging Directions for Structural Change

Amy Weil is Co-Leader of the UNC Wellness Committee, and Co-Advisor of the Larry J. Keith Advising Colleges. Her presentation will introduce a new wellness program. “When you enter the medical field, whether as a student or a resident, you’re often optimistic about the profession,” says Weil. “But external forces too often cause that optimism to deteriorate. The forces in our health care system today threaten to prevent us from having the kind of relationships with patients that allow us to feel fulfilled as physicians. Humanities, in combination with things like mindfulness and other activities that foster well-being, can help us remain present when we’re with our patients and prevent those outside pressures from intruding on these relationships. They can inoculate physicians against burnout and help them sustain longer and happier careers.”