Wellness Week – January 19-23, 2026

Dr. Rodrick Lim

Dr. Rodrick Lim is a Professor of Paediatrics at the University of Western Ontario.  He is the Medical Director & Section Chief of the Paediatric Emergency Department at the Children’s Hospital and the Chair of the Wellness Committee, and the vice-chair of the Academic Committee at CAEP.  He could not be more thrilled to be involved with a diverse group of passionate, capable and dynamic individuals in the wellness community.

Clarity Through Action – National Grands Rounds – Paving the Way Toward Career Longevity – A Panel

Hi everyone!  We are so excited at presenting National Grand Rounds today on an important topic, “Paving the Way Toward Career Longevity”. We hope to:

1. Crowdsource ideas to help articulate key strategies toward career longevity
   2. Discuss CAEPs Advanced Practice Position Statement
   3. Represent views from all different stages of career

We have a great panel consisting of Drs. Riayad Abu-Laban, Maria Berliant, Brittany Cameron, Joan Cheng, Ada Gu, Tyara Marchand, and Rodrick Lim!  See you there!

Regaining Joy in the Practice of Medicine (part I)

I first watched an episode of the TV show “ER” in later 1994. One of the actors, Eric Lasalle, played the surgical resident Dr. Peter Benton who, after he was able to do his first appendectomy as a surgical resident where he performed the procedure himself, walked down the hallway and knelt down and did a fist pump.

When I saw that I became jealous, because I asked myself how often at the end of my day in the ER as I was completing a shift did I have that feeling of elation and satisfaction. And it wasn’t very often. I knew as we all do, that this life is not a dress rehearsal, and health can change rapidly, and I didn’t want to have a career at the end of which I felt unfulfilled and disappointed. That is when I decided that we as emergency physicians deserved better, and that I was going to commit myself to helping make ER’s a great place to work, as well as a great place for patients to receive care.

Today’s emergency departments are pressure cookers, with fewer-than-needed emergency physicians and nurses, fewer-than-needed primary care physicians, fewer-than-needed specialists, not enough real-time resources, an aging populace, and inefficient hospital throughput processes leading to the boarding of patients in the emergency department as they await inpatient beds. We work in an intense and unpredictable environment where the demands for clinical perfection and optimal patient/family communication abound. Enjoying the practice of emergency medicine is not just about strengthening our personal resilience skills in order to handle the aforementioned stresses; it must  primarily focus on creating an efficient work environment which supports teamwork and gets rid of “the stupid stuff” (processes and administrative demands which unnecessarily hinder optimal patient care  and a sense of fulfillment in delivering that care).

In the United States, in 2017, the National Academy of Medicine created an “Action Collaborative on Clinician Well-being and Resilience.” I was lucky enough to be a member of that collaborative and part of the working group which developed the conceptual model of Clinician Well-being.  What we determined was that 75-80% of burnout was due to organizational and system issues rather than to personal capabilities or resilience skills.

(This and other resources can be found at https://nam.edu/clinicianwellbeing/ )

I will admit that when I first started, I had what I call a “silver platter philosophy” – I thought that if I became a clinically competent emergency physician, someone would create (and serve up to me) a functional and optimized practice environment where I could just step in and “do my thing”. I found out that I was greatly mistaken – no one was going to do that for me or us. In order to give great patient care, we had to create a great place for people to work. It had to be a set of simultaneous efforts – create an efficient and fulfilling work environment, improve our skills in terms of patient and family communication, and encourage and support physician and nurse self-care and resilience-building.

From my perspective, physician well-being is founded on connection, to . . .

• Self (to what we feel is important)
• Family (to those who we love and who love us)
• Patients (to those to whom we have dedicated our work)
• Colleagues (to those with whom we work)
• Spirit (to something larger than ourselves)

In order to accomplish those connections, we need to support . . .

• Self – Offer and connect employees with resources and services that promote individual resilience (e.g., programs to stay well, not just when distressed)
• Family – Celebrate, recognize, and encourage time spent taking time away from work, and actively workshop solutions to help your teams do the same (e.g., decrease EHR pajama time for docs)
• Patients – (or the people we serve) Focus on relationship as much as on task, on the experience as much as on safety/quality
• Colleagues – Create a more efficient work environment, use appreciative inquiry, “Getting Rid of the Stupid Stuff”; provide peer support
• Spirit / Purpose – Make the goal regaining joy in work

My colleagues have not wanted to just hear about the statistics on burnout and the above ideas. They have asked for specific tactics that help them with all three processes. So, I want to start by sharing one strategy about what we can do to create a more efficient and fulfilling workplace. In future blogs I will share tactics to improve personal resilience, improve a sense of team, and improve communication and connection with our patients.

Typically when we start on process improvement we focus on what is wrong so that we can try to make it better. However, a different approach is called Appreciative Inquiry. That methodology promotes first thinking about a time (or times) when you’ve felt most deeply alive and engaged in your health care workplace, when you really felt like you were thriving and able to do your best work under even difficult circumstances, when you felt like a valued and contributing member of the community, and when you experienced a deep sense of meaning and purpose in your work. Then expand on and color that in by asking the following: “What did that feel like? Where was I? What was I thinking? Who was I with?” Then . . . write down one thing that you could do now that would allow you to experience more of what you identified had brought you a sense of joy and purpose in the past.

You can do this as an individual, and even better, do this as a team of physicians, nurses, and other ED staff. Have each member of the team write their one improvement suggestion on a slip of paper, and then pass the slips around and have each person score the improvement idea on a 1 to 5 scale, where 1 is “this wouldn’t help me enjoy my practice more” and 5 is “great idea – this would help tremendously”. Then add up the grades and prioritize on the basis of the scores and the following categories:

Then work with your administrative partners to make it happen. Obviously the first processes to be addressed will most likely be those with local control to the remedy.  That can help build momentum to deal with the other needs. This could be something as simple as creating an epistaxis tray so that you don’t have to go searching for everything you need, or something more substantive like setting up a monthly hospital throughput/flow meeting as a collaborative effort involving the ED, hospitalists, inpatient nursing services, and ICU. Rather than feel frustrated and helpless with the current workplace, we can be participants in making things better. To quote Brother David Steindl-Rast, author of Gratitude: the Heart of Prayer, “the antidote to exhaustion is not necessarily rest . . . it’s wholeheartedness.” If at the end of our day we can feel connected to our meaning and purpose, to why we went into medicine in the first place, we may feel fatigued  . . . and we will feel fulfilled. That is how we can begin to bring joy back into our clinical practice.

If you have any questions about this tactic, please reach out to me at jaykaplanmd@gmail.com. In future blogs, I will share tactics to improve both personal and team well-being, and discuss specific actionable behaviors that will facilitate our connections to our patients and to those with whom we work.

Dr. Jay Kaplan

Dr. Kaplan is an attending physician in the Emergency Department of Kootenay Lake Hospital in Nelson, BC.  He is currently a Clinical Instructor for the Department of Emergency Medicine of the University of British Columbia.  He practiced emergency medicine for more than 43 years in the United States and the past 2 1/2 years in rural British Columbia, Canada. He has been a physician coach, consultant, and mentor for more than 25 years.  He is past Medical Director of Care Transformation and Director of the Be Well Center for LCMC Health in New Orleans, LA, where he was also Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine, LSU Health Sciences Center, and academic faculty for the LSU Emergency Medicine Residency in New Orleans.  

Dr. Kaplan is a past President of the American College of Emergency Physicians and current national faculty for ACEP, as well as a past member of the National Academy of Medicine Action Collaborative on Clinician Well-Being and Resilience.  In 2021 he was named the American College of Emergency Physicians’ John G. Wiegenstein Leadership award winner, ACEP’s highest award.  

Clarity Through Action – National Grands Rounds – OVERLOAD: How Mother-Doctors Can Get the Work and Life They Want Without the Guilt

Dawn is passionate and excited at presenting National Grand Rounds today on “Overload: How Mother-Doctors Can Get the Work and Life They Want Without the Guilt”.  Objectives for the session include:

1. Understand 3 common mindset blocks that keep mother-doctors stuck in a cycle of overwhelm and burnout
2. In small groups, apply a coaching framework to clarify the root causes of overload that are under the participant’s control to change

Practical Wellness “The problem is not the cause”

As a coach specializing in helping female physicians struggling with balancing meaningful work, family life, and well-being, by far the commonest question asked of me is “how do I get over my burnout?”

It’s as if you want a checklist, a neat strategy, or the prescription for change.

But you can’t treat your problem without first understanding the root cause.

If you tell me you feel overwhelmed, overloaded, and burnt out, you might cite one of the following problems:

Your mother fell and broke her hip and now you need to apply to LTC.

Your marriage is failing.

Your child is being bullied at school and you feel like you failed as a parent.

Your team members have labelled you as “the slow doc.”

You received your second patient complaint in a row.

You want to leave a toxic relationship, but dread being single and trying again.

You can’t seem to say no when someone asks you to join a committee (even if you hate the work).

You can’t get good sleep.

These are PROBLEMS.

But what is the CAUSE?

Minds are tricky that way, right?

The dramas that play out in your private life often surface as signals at work. You feel the signals as burnout.

But if burnout is the symptom, what is the underlying cause?

That’s the inner work that you deserve to find out. It might seem confusing to know where to start, but I’ve walked this path myself. It’s a learnable and repeatable process.

If this sparks your curiosity, I invite you to join me in the workshop “Overload” on January 22nd where you’ll learn the first step of my proprietary framework on how to get over burnout so you can have your great life without the guilt.

Dr. Dawn Lim

Dr. Dawn Lim (she/her) is a staff emergency physician and assistant professor at the University Health Network. She is a photo essayist and life coach particularly interested in changing the culture of shame in motherhood and medicine. She uses the power of stories to work with doctors and teams facing burnout. You can click here to sign up for her weekly blog on helping fellow mother-doctors thrive.

You can connect with Dawn to further the conversations!

What an amazing week, of rounds, workshop and tips that help propel us through 2026.  I hope you found it helpful, and interesting. I thank very much not only the blog writers, but also all of the Wellness Committee for their commitment and contribution not only for this week, but throughout the year. Thank you as well to head office, who have always supported and encouraged our committee. I think it’s fitting to turn over the last word to our resident representative, representing our collective future of emergency medicine, with the last word. Over to you Si-Cheng!

Rod Lim

Clarity Through Action: A Resident’s Perspective on Wellness in Emergency Medicine

Emergency Medicine attracts people who, when faced with uncertain situations, are able to act decisively. Why not apply the same strategies to wellness? For me, clarity through action means being proactive in developing resilience. And, as someone who is taking their first steps in the field, gathering advice from seasoned ED consultants is a great way to gain insight.

Galvanizing Teams: Recreating Moments When We Were at Our Best

When asking emergency physicians when they felt most fulfilled, seldom do they speak about their numbers — they remember the time the team ran smoothly, where communication was sharp and roles were clear, and everyone had each other’s backs. Debriefing is one way to ingrain great moments of healthcare provision. I recall a resuscitation where dual sequential shocks brought a patient in refractory ventricular fibrillation back to life. Down the line, they recovered enough to be discharged from hospital with a good quality of life. The preparedness of the team to place both sets of defibrillator pads on, as well as the freedom for the suggestion to be made in a room without ego, were defining characteristics of this “best moment.” As a resident, having a clearly defined role during the resuscitation allowed me to play a part in this. Debriefing these instances with colleagues allows us to recreate these moments in the future and remain fulfilled.

Other gestures too can contribute to having those “best shifts.” Many of my staff praise the culture shift toward camaraderie over hierarchy, and this is evident in their practice. Welcoming residents onto a shift, checking in on how they’re doing, and being a figure of guidance rather than scrutiny, allow providers to support each other as a team and function best. It is therapeutic toward both parties, and I am always cognizant to pay this forward toward newer learners.

Practical Tips Surrounding Sleep, Food, and Essentials

Sleep hygiene, meal planning, and hydration may feel mundane, but ignoring these basics makes that night shift extremely unforgiving. I’ve gathered some tips from my mentors, colleagues, and from Dr. Gray’s earlier blog post:

• Know your chronotype and plan shifts accordingly. Most EM residency programs in Canada allow senior residents to self-schedule. Some people are early risers, and others night owls. Schedule more morning shifts if you’re the former, and more evening shifts if you’re the latter. And ensure you take at least 12 hours between shifts, with more time after consecutive ones.
• Nutrition and hydration are important. Many attendings warn against a heavy meal but support smaller snacks during longer shifts. That way your focus doesn’t waver from a food coma, and metabolic function isn’t heavily affected. Bring a water bottle with you so you have an easy means to hydrate – we often forget to in the chaos of the department.
• Take that 10-minute break when you need it. It has become more common for staff to offer a break in the middle of your shift. Use it to grab a bite, use the washroom, or just offload cognitively for a while.

Institutionally, things are also changing to protect one’s wellness. At the hospitals within my residency program, I have benefited from shifts split into higher and lower acuity. In the beginning of your shift, when you’re sharpest, you see the acute side. The latter half of your shift is dedicated to more ambulatory/one-touch patients. We have also implemented a form of Casino shifts, comprising 6 hours shifts divided into the night to aid in sleep anchoring.

Looking Beneath the Surface: From Symptoms to Root Causes

Feeling overwhelmed is a common symptom among those with burnout. Speaking with longstanding ED consultants, many state this can occur when there is a mismatch between what physicians are trained to expect and what comes through the ED doors, as medicine and the patient population continuously evolve to be more complex. This uncertainty becomes exhausting. Addressing this involves shared learning and mentorship alongside continued exposure. As residents, we are in a prime position to expose ourselves to this uncertainty in a safer environment where our actions are overseen by an ED consultant. Furthermore, despite often being afraid to ask poor questions and make mistakes, we are again in a prime position to do so, with the least risk. As I progress in my residency, I remind myself to posit those questions to staff, to see those cases that frighten me, to come to terms with being incorrect. Because by performing those actions, we take steps towards becoming more competent and confident in future scenarios, building those protective factors.

What was just discussed is one possible root cause of burnout, but the origin will be different depending on the practitioner. There are many ways to look within oneself to find this; one tool that is readily accessible through residency insurance benefits is private therapy. Therapy can be of benefit to anyone who wants to learn more about themselves and certainly can provide insight into one’s individual experience of burnout.

As I enter the profession, I am encouraged by the openness of ED consultants in sharing not only what has worked, but what has failed, and how they have overcome. Clarity through action reminds me that we don’t need to be perfect before we begin. In a specialty defined by action, perhaps it is fitting that our path to wellness is found the same way — by doing, together.