Collegiality is a one of the great virtues of physician-hood. Mutual support from colleagues to help deal with the challenges of being a physician has long helped physicians manage the stress related to practicing medicine and helped physicians derive meaning from their work. Unfortunately, increased productivity expectations and other changes to the practice of medicine over the last several decades have decreased the time physicians have to interact with colleagues and eroded the fabric of collegiality. Recent studies suggest burnout affects nearly half of U.S. physicians at any given point in time and has substantial personal and professional consequences. The steps organizations can take to promote collegiality are unknown. The goal of the present study is to evaluate the ability of an organizational intervention to encourage collegiality, shared experience, connectedness, and mutual support. This study builds on two prior intervention studies directed by the Mayo Clinic Department of Medicine Program on Physician Well-Being, the first focusing on a small group facilitated well-being curriculum and the second focusing on individual electronic tasks to prompt positive reflection and gratitude.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
125
The first 15 minutes of each session will be semi-structured discussion involving i) check in and ii) dialogue about the assigned question. Group leaders will be provided 3-4 discussion questions for each session. The group (or the leader) can choose the one they are most interested in and will then spend 10-15 minutes discussing the question together. Questions will touch on key themes for discussion (see the attached topics list) and are derived from our previous intervention studies. The remainder of the time can be used for socializing and building relationships with colleagues.
Burnout
Maslach Burnout Inventory results
Time frame: 12 month outcomes
Depressive symptoms
PRIME-MD
Time frame: 12 month outcomes
Quality of life
LASA QOL
Time frame: 12 month outcomes
Job satisfaction
PJSS
Time frame: 12 month outcomes
Meaning at work
EWS
Time frame: 12 month outcomes
Social support
Social Provisions Scale
Time frame: 12 month outcomes
Social isolation
PROMIS Social Isolation
Time frame: 12 month outcomes
Job turnover
Single item asking about 2-year plans to leave current practice
Time frame: 12 month outcomes
This platform is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional.