Commensality groups

Meeting with coworkers

The Department of Medicine is focused on building community and a culture of well-being for faculty and staff. Our commensality groups seek to strengthen community, collegiality, and social connection amongst faculty.

Meeting with coworkers
Join a Group
This is unpublished

Background

Over 900 Department of Medicine employees responded to the 2024 UW Medicine well-being survey. The department saw positive trends with overall increases in professional fulfillment and decreases in burnout in attending physicians, advanced practice providers, and trainees. However, some areas still fell below local and national benchmarks on these measures.

As part of our focus on well-being, we are facilitating commensality groups to strengthen community, collegiality, and social connection amongst faculty. 

Feedback from commensality groups formed in fall 2023 was positive, with participants feeling the groups were helpful in building engagement, connections and community while reducing distress.

commensality groups

Join a group

If you are interested in participating, please complete this form.

Commensality groups are an evidence-based approach to increase collegiality and professional fulfillment while reducing burnout amongst participants. 

Groups consist of 6 to 8 participants meeting monthly to discuss questions relevant to their professional obligations, personal lives, and work-life integration.

The Stanford WellMD and WellPhD website has key information about these groups and what is involved in participating or leading a group.

If you have questions about these groups, please contact Andrea Zaragoza.

Sign up to participate

Resources

  1. West CP, Dyrbye LN, Rabatin JT, Call TG, Davidson JH, Multari A, et al. Intervention to promote physician well-being, job satisfaction, and professionalism: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA Intern Med. 2014 Apr;174(4):527-533. 
  2. Luthar SS, Curlee A, Tye SJ, Engeleman JC, Stonnington CM. Fostering resilience among mothers under stress: “authentic connections group” for medical professionals. Women's Health Issues. 2017 May-Jun:27(3):382-90. 
  3. West CP, Dyrbye LN, Satele DV, Shanafelt TD. Colleagues meeting to promote and sustain satisfaction (COMPASS) Groups for physician well-being: a randomized clinical trial. Mayo Clin Proc 2021; 96:2606-2614.