Creating Optimal Work and Learning Environments to Support Well-Being and Quality: Lessons from an Award Winning Program

In 2017, an EM residency affiliated with the University of California Riverside, received accreditation from the ACGME. Before matriculating residents, the program collaborated with psychologists from Claremont Graduate University to develop an evidence-based workplace well-being program based on organizational psychology research. That program achieved remarkable success, evidenced by near perfect ACGME survey results and ultimately the 2022 ACEP National Well-Being Champion Award. Building on that success, our research lab undertook a 3-year study involving 2,800 residents. We used structural equation modeling to validate the variables from the pilot study and generalized the findings across specialties and locations. In 2023, we began conducting workshops that brought together organizational psychologists and residency leadership to explore both the theoretical and practical aspects of creating optimal work environments. Within our system, which includes 5400 residents, our trainees outperformed the national average on 8 of the 12 ACGME well-being questions in 2023, and by 2024 they exceeded the national average on all 12 questions. This workshop is designed to introduce the organizational psychology approach to workplace well-being through job demands-resource theory and self-determination theory. Participants will learn introductory level practical interventions with digital resources to support implementation.