Who can influence wellbeing?

Experiencing Efficiency of Work is also a critical component of WorkLife Wellbeing. Identifying opportunities for improvement can often be achieved by asking questions like:

Do all caregivers have access to the information, supplies, equipment and supporting team members necessary to perform their work? Does technology streamline the workflow or create additional tasks? Are all members of the care team consistently working at the top of their license? Do distractions, inefficiencies, administrative burdens or duplications in process increase the time required to complete given tasks?

By placing a balanced emphasis on all three aspects of WorkLife Wellbeing, we hope to help every caregiver achieve meaning, connection, and joy.

How can we influence wellbeing?

The WorkLife Wellbeing Operational Framework outlines three ways we influence wellbeing—by delivering wellbeing services directly to our caregivers, by creating opportunities for caregivers to take empowered action to improve the wellbeing of their colleagues, and through advocacy efforts.

The Center for WorkLife Wellbeing offers a variety of Wellbeing Services, including:

A network of 10 OASIS rooms that is available to all caregivers across 3 campuses. The Thank You Project which helps grateful patients connect with the clinical and non-clinical caregivers who have had such a significant impact on their lives and health. Reflective Rounds are monthly facilitated discussion sessions where multidisciplinary teams can explore their reactions to providing patient care, the meaning and values that drive their work,

A comprehensive catalog of the Center’s services is outlined in Appendix B, with additional information available on our internal website.

Providing caregivers with opportunities to take Empowered Action allows them to tap into their talents and passions to positively influence the wellbeing of their colleagues. Several of the programs offered by the Center for WorkLife Wellbeing include opportunities for empowered action, such as serving as an OASIS champion, a COMPASS facilitator or a peer supporter in the Care for the Caregiver program.

The Center for WorkLife Wellbeing strives to amplify the voice of the caregiver through its Advocacy efforts, which often address challenges well beyond the control of individual caregivers or even individual health systems. While a broad variety of efforts fall into this category, they most commonly include:

Gathering feedback regarding the caregiver experience to inform policy decisions.

Partnering with internal stakeholders to overcome operational challenges or implement interventions on the local level. Advocacy efforts on the national stage in collaboration with professional organizations.

Examples of advocacy efforts include:

The creation of a Gender Equity Task Force in the Department of Surgery.

Bolstering privacy and dignity considerations in the Clinician Experiencing Mental Distress guidelines.

Fostering greater psychological safety in the event review process. The creation of an EHR User Experience Task Force within ChristianaCare Hospitalist Partners to optimize efficiency and utility. The release of the Civil Rights Compliance policy, designed to protect the rights of caregivers and foster a work environment free of discrimination.

The formation of a Senior Clinician Advisory Group to advocate for the unique needs of physicians and advanced practice clinicians in the later stages of their career. Multi-system collaboration around the caregiver experience through eBrightHealth

Who can influence wellbeing?

Some of the foundational challenges to wellbeing in healthcare lay squarely in the control of Government & Regulatory Entities. By partnering with Professional Organizations, we are able to extend our advocacy efforts beyond our walls and influence policy decisions more broadly. This includes:

Participation in the Physician Wellness Academic Consortium. Ongoing participation in the National Academy of Medicine's Action Collaborative on Clinician Well-Being and Resilience, which recently culminated in the publication of key recommendations: Taking Action Against Clinician Burnout: A Systems Approach to Professional WellBeing.

Locally, we are able to implement meaningful and impactful interventions by partnering with Internal Stakeholders. We are incredibly grateful for the more than 100 caregivers who have volunteered to take empowered action as:

OASIS champions. Care for the Caregiver peer supporters. COMPASS facilitators; or Members of the Resident Wellbeing Committee.

Participate in Wellbeing Services. Consult with us as their team's face challenging times. Encounter the roving Wellbeing Wagon as it makes its way through the many ChristianaCare locations, offering wellbeing tips, information on upcoming wellbeing services and healthy snacks to help you recharge

But each and every caregiver plays a significant role in shaping the culture of work at ChristianaCare. As caregivers, we have collectively defined our Values & Behaviors 5 to guide the way we interact with the public and with one another. Through Love and Excellence, every caregiver has the power to positively contribute to WorkLife Wellbeing.

Click below to learn more about the many ChristianaCareinitiatives and services which contribute directly to caregiver wellbeing, such as:

✓ ChristianaCare raises minimum wage to $15/hour. Aetna Resource for Living chosen as new caregiver Employee Assistance Program (Username: ChristianaCare, Password: EAP). Paid Parental Leave Policy Announced for fiscal year 2021. Wellbeing education built into protected lecture time of almost all residency and fellowship programs as part of a broader GME wellbeing strategy

And we encourage caregivers to take advantage of opportunities for empowered action throughout the organization, such as:

(Click here to learn more about getting involved.)

We have had the pleasure of meeting thousands more caregivers as they:

5 Read more about ChristianaCare’s Values and Behaviors at: https://way.christianacare.org/thechristiana-care-way/our-values-and-behaviors/

✓ Inspire healthy living by becoming a Wellness Champion. Employee Resource Groups encourage inclusion and camaraderie. Making Tomorrow Happen launched organization-wide, empowering caregivers to identify opportunities for improvement and solve problems together..