The project stems from a meeting of the seven-member oversight committee created earlier this year to develop strategies and programmatic changes to alleviate work-life balance and faculty stress. David Rogers, M.D., MHPE, senior associate dean for Faculty Affairs and Development, said the committee reviewed more than 500 responses to a question posed in the 2015 the Faculty Engagement Survey and identified seven key areas where faculty indicated they would like changes.
UAB Medicine is utilizing a web platform that allows faculty to submit ideas on programs to improve work-life balance, as well as discuss and support ideas from their colleagues.
“We are seeking your input to better define the seven proposed projects and allow you to nominate other projects that you believe the committee needs to consider in our final proposal to the Joint Operating Leadership,” Rogers said. “Using this social site will allow faculty members not only to send us their ideas on making UAB Medicine a better work environment, but give faculty the opportunity to engage with one another about their ideas.”
Input is being sought in the following areas:
- Improving access to daycare
- Improving the UAB and UAB Medicine family leave policy
- Improving access to fitness and wellness programs
- Creating School of Medicine guidelines for research faculty funding expectations
- Improving programs for support for early research faculty and improve bridge funding for all research faculty
- Improving physician input in the clinical enterprise decision-making process
- Creating programs that would reduce the amount of physician faculty effort required for data entry into the electronic health record and billing systems