Fostering Joy and Well-Being in Health Care at University of Utah Health
Faculty and staff across our vast academic health system dedicate their lives to helping and healing others. That dedication, along with cultural and system process issues, can lead to stress and burnout. The Resiliency Center stands ready to help University of Utah Health employees cope with these conditions. In addition to helping faculty and staff through hard times, we want to help them experience full joy and purpose in their work.
The "Joy in Work" Model and Professional Well-Being
Emphasizing the joy in our work can help build a healthier workplace. Everyone can experience joy in their work—it’s not just aspirational. We can all be happy, healthy, and productive. Most people working in an academic medical setting signed up because they want to make a difference. The Resiliency Center recently adopted the Institute of Healthcare Improvement’s “Joy in Work” model to guide conversation and action with leaders and their teams.
What used to be our Wellness Champions foundations course is now the Joy in Work foundations course. Anyone interested in promoting joy at work, within their area of control, can take the course. It’s available to individual employees and team leaders.
Research and Data-Driven Support
Using research and data to promote health is a priority. Future plans include building out a research arm for the center to study what we’re doing and add to research efforts across the nation. Every year we’ve learned more about the field through experience and tools like the Better U Survey. As we better understand faculty and staff challenges, the Resiliency Center has changed to meet those needs. Finding data points to compare and understand is the first step in finding the critical ingredients for professional well-being.
Key Wellness Initiatives
To aid employee well-being, several initiatives have been established:
- Code Lavender: An on-site emotional support program. Working in an academic medical setting comes with stress, including trauma, grief, and moral injury. Code Lavender brings in resources and sets up a communication chain so support and recovery can begin as soon as possible.
- Healing Through Storytelling: In February 2025, we’re hosting “Healthcare Stories: Joy.” Clinicians, patients, family members, staff, faculty, and students can tell their stories live on stage. Stories are a way to connect and build community.
- Mindfulness: U of U Health is the Official Health & Wellness Partner for the Sundance Film Festival, where leaders conduct mindfulness exercises for attendees.
The Impact of Collaboration and Support
EAs, or “admin assistants,” are often the multi-talented “glue” holding a team together. Across 72 unique departments at U of U Health, more than 235 EAs provide support. Emotional intelligence, high collaboration, and adaptability are required to help keep everything running smoothly behind the scenes. This level of support allows clinicians to focus on patients while maintaining their own professional well-being.
Resiliency Center Resources and Timeline
| Initiative / Program | Description / Schedule |
|---|---|
| Joy in Work Foundations Course | Available in late September for individual employees and team leaders. |
| Healthcare Stories: Joy | Live event scheduled for February 2025 at Kingsbury Hall. |
| Code Lavender | On-site mental health support for trauma, grief, and stressful events. |
| Resiliency Center Contact | 801-213-3403 or [email protected] (8 am – 5 pm, Monday-Friday). |
Historically, in the field of psychology, we’ve looked at helping people return to baseline. But we can also move toward joy and thriving—so our faculty and staff can experience life to the fullest.