With our physicians and trainees working in environments of extreme pressure and stress, the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM) is supporting an initiative that aims to promote the importance of caring for yourself.
The American College of Emergency Physicians’ Wellness Week (March 11-17, 2018) reminds all emergency physicians, trainees and all their emergency department colleagues to take the time to reflect.
In supporting this initiative, ACEM President Dr Simon Judkins says looking after your health and wellbeing was key to performance optimisation.
“ACEM has a crucial role in providing guidance, education and resources to help in making our careers in emergency medicine as fulfilling, sustainable and enjoyable as possible,” Dr Judkins says.
ACEM has a number of options to support trainees throughout their training and beyond, and FACEMs’ health and wellbeing.
“The role of wellness in performance and career longevity is unquestioned,” Dr Judkins says. “ACEM supports the health and wellbeing of its trainees and members.”
Online discussion forum
ACEM has launched an online discussion forum available to all trainees and physicians which provides an opportunity to share resources to help prevent, identify, and address burnout in oneself, exchange ideas on the way to balance life and work, and connect with co-workers.
Wellness, resilience and performance: Translating ideas into action
In an opinion piece for Emergency Medicine Australasia, FACEMs Drs Shahina Braganza, Alex Markwell and Suneth Jayasekara argue that wellness is important for both patients and emergency physicians.
The group are part of WRaP EM, founded by Dr Una Harrington, which aims to promote the concepts of wellness, resilience and performance as a core part of emergency medicine practice.
“Legitimising the wellness imperative for emergency medicine healthcare workers relies on its conversion from a ‘soft’ issue within the workplace into a core attribute that promotes performance – individually and collectively,” they write. “As such, the agenda and motivation apply not just to the individual, but to the department and indeed the organisation”.
“There is no one-size-fits-all approach to enhance emergency medicine healthcare worker wellness. However, simply starting the conversation and initiating some action in this space can make powerful statements about recognition of issues as well as a commitment to optimising wellness within the workplace. It is incumbent upon individuals and organisations to work in partnership in order to achieve this.”
Coordinated by Dr Ashwini Amaratunga, WraP EM has produced material for the Australia/New Zealand arm of Wellness Week from 11-17 March. Members can find daily themed blog posts, podcasts and videos on this site, and follow Wellness week activity on twitter @WRAPEMtweet
Read the full opinion piece