Physician wellness is a hot topic and the 2024 VCH-wide physician wellness survey identified a high risk of burnout for medical staff across the board. In response, VPSA offers wellness funding to support initiatives that strengthen community, connection, and well-being among its members.

Some 600 physicians work in Vancouver Community’s Department of Family & Community Practice; they are spread across multiple sites, which limits opportunities for in-person gatherings. To address this, the department applied for VPSA wellness funding to host an appreciation and recognition event.

“The event was an opportunity for members to interact with the department leadership and their colleagues and it was well received,” said Dr. Lucy Lyons. “Approximately 40 physicians attended and the comments in our follow-up survey were positive. Everyone agreed that the event supported collegiality and well-being, and that it improved their perception of the department as a place to work.”

“We were able to engage family physician colleagues on challenges they face professionally,” added Dr. Junella Lee. “The themes identified included recognition and greater interconnectedness with colleagues.”

The committee has renewed its wellness funding and is focusing on continued opportunities for family physician colleagues to connect. The committee will organize another appreciation event, and this time include recognition for members with long service.  A previous department-funded event with a creative activity was a great success with attendees indicating they enjoying having an activity that brought them together to generate meaningful conversations relevant to work and work/life balance.

Do you have an idea for a wellness initiative for your department or division? Fill out this letter of intent to see if you are eligible for VPSA funding. Funding covers physicians’ time to work on the project and participate in project activities as well as catering costs, group activities that enhance individual approaches to manage burnout symptoms or interventions aimed at organizational and work group strategies for reducing risk of burnout, hiring expertise when required, commensality groups and/or social events that meet certain requirements.