Below, Department of Surgery Chair Herbert Chen, M.D., FACS, shares his UAB Well-Being Index Results and encourages faculty, staff and trainees to practice wellness during the upcoming holiday season.
Department of Surgery:
As the UAB School of Medicine Office of Wellness continues to innovate on wellness resources and we enter what can be a stressful season for some, I want to remind you all to take some time to promote your health and well-being.
If you are not sure where to start, I encourage you to take the Well-Being Index (WBI). The WBI is a web-based tool used to evaluate multiple dimensions of distress in just 7-9 questions. It is designed to measure burnout, allowing users to compare their scores to their peers as well as track progress over time to promote self-awareness. It is 100% anonymous.
The index measures six dimensions of distress and well-being: likelihood of burnout, severe fatigue, suicidal ideation, quality of life, meaning in work, work-life integration, risk of medical error, drop-out risk, and overall well-being. Take the WBI here. Use one of the following access codes based on your group/role:
- Faculty: UAB FACULTY
- APP: UAB APP
- Trainee (Resident/Fellow/Other Trainee): UAB TRAINEE
- Medical Students: UAB MEDICAL STUDENTS
- Nurses: UAB NURSES
- Employee/Staff: UAB MEDICINE
I recently took the WBI and wanted to share my results. I hope that this encourages each of you to take time to prioritize your well-being and take the WBI, if you have not already.
I also encourage each of you to have several outlets that support your mental, physical and emotional health, whether that be walks, cooking, a movie night, or whatever else may bring you a moment of well-being. Here are a few of the ways that I like to take time out for myself:
- Walking and hiking with Harriet and four-legged family members
- Golfing at Old Overton and the 40 plus golf courses in Birmingham
- Waking skiing and wakeboarding on Smith Lake
- The residents in the department have impressive water skills!
- Enjoying local restaurants
- For those of you who do not know, I have a list of my favorite restaurants in Birmingham, and I am happy to share that on request.
- Bourbon\whiskey tasting
- Of course, our favorites are the UAB Surgery Old Forester and Woodford Reserve.
Along with these activities, I find it important to appreciate the big and small things in my life that I am thankful for. With Thanksgiving quickly approaching, this is an excellent time to take a moment to reflect on what you are thankful for.
The department is collecting words of gratitude to make a collective word cloud for the department that will be shared the week of Thanksgiving. Submit a word of gratitude below.