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ACP Well-being Champions: Enacting Change Through Small Steps From Right Where You Are

“Change that is big enough to matter, small enough to win”

—Eileen Barrett, MD, MPH, MACP

With all of our roles and responsibilities as well as the countless items that pile up on our to-do lists, we can easily become overwhelmed and fueled by our emotions. As we notice the subtle transitions around us, for those of us experiencing fall turn into winter, we can take some time to remind ourselves that we don't need to try to change everything at once. This Core IM podcast features a helpful conversation from one of our WBC alumni, Dr. Eileen Barrett, on how to take small steps to create lasting system change.

One way to take a small step toward system change is to get involved with your peers by volunteering with ACP, either at the national or chapter level. There are many opportunities to connect with your community and be part of something bigger than just yourself. You can judge abstracts and Doctor's Dilemma® competitions, submit images or blog posts to ACP publications, or join a committee. We recently had a wonderful, interactive meeting at ACP's national headquarters in Philadelphia with our Professional Development and Fulfillment Committee (some members pictured above), where we had a number of inspiring conversations that generated exciting ideas for new and continued programming.

Check out the links below for resources you can use for yourself and others:

  • Explore the Professional Fulfillment Zone, where you will find the latest updates from ACP's Professional Development and Fulfillment Team on the Well-being Champion (WBC) program, Physician Peer Coaching, and the annual ACP Internal Medicine Meeting.
  • Read about the value of Chief Wellness Officers, flourishing, humanities, and quality improvement in medicine.
  • Learn about unique chapter wellness activities, the mid-career “trap,” microskills for change, and preventing physician suicide.
  • Review Patients Before Paperwork and advocacy updates that affect physician well-being and professional fulfillment.
  • Explore WBC coaching resources, including coaching sign-ups, the WBC contact list, a library of well-being interventions, and the WBC journey map (must be signed in to ACP online).
  • Utilize just-in-time well-being skills for yourself and others; explore tools to create a well-being program tailored to any organization's needs and budget.
  • Visit the I.M. Emotional Support Hub and Video Series to learn more about individual and organizational strategies and resources to protect clinicians' emotional health and well-being.

We look forward to hearing from you! Reach out to us via e-mail anytime with your thoughts and suggestions for newsletter topics and features.

Sincerely,

Your ACP Well-being Team

Please log your Well-being Champion activities in your new and improved Well-being Champion Activities Tracker!

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