Burnout in healthcare cannot be solved by adding another meeting to the calendar of already overextended leaders. Real change happens when people have skin in the game and are invited to help fund, shape and sponsor the work.
In 2023, one medical group in our health system — Rady Children’s Health in Orange County (formerly called CHOC) — took a different approach to physician wellness. The environment in medicine had shifted after the COVID-19 pandemic, but burnout was being driven by more than one factor. Our annual physician engagement survey showed opportunities across several domains, including how physicians were engaging with their clinical leaders.
We knew we needed a different model. This was not just about patient care; it was about each other.
The Pediatric Subspecialty Faculty, with more than 500 physicians and advanced practice providers, is led by a peer-elected board of directors. In our foundation model at Rady Children’s Health in Orange County, a percentage of clinical revenue is designated for reinvestment funds available for a variety of purposes, including research, education and philanthropy. Rather than looking outside the health system for support, we reimagined how research funding could be used to address burnout within the medical group itself.
We partnered with a respected team, known to our physicians through its work in other health systems, and invited that organization to lead a wellness-through-leadership program grounded in the principles of wellness-centered leadership. What emerged was an important insight: The path to wellness had far less to do with resilience training and far more to do with connection, trust and the time leaders devote to their teams and future.
Over six months, 25 division chiefs and board members completed the program, and the results were striking. Burnout decreased significantly. Importantly, the positive effects were not limited to the participating leaders; their teams reported the largest improvements.
A key strength of the program was its flexibility. During the six-month period, division chiefs were also completing annual physician reviews, and the course adapted to reflect the needs of both leaders and faculty. That responsiveness reinforced a broader message: Their concerns were being heard, and changes were being made with a shared future in mind. Follow-up surveys showed double-digit improvement in areas such as “my direct supervisor/division chief listens to me” and “supports my future.” These gains have been sustained for three years.
When I shared the results with hospital leaders at a graduation event, Regional President Kim Milstien was so impressed that she immediately asked how we could scale the program. It is rare in healthcare to see physicians so aligned with leadership that hospital administrators are eager to expand an initiative originating from the medical group. This partnership is just one reason she was recognized by Becker’s Healthcare as one of the “Top Chief Operating Officers to Know” in 2023.
We also learned that lasting solutions emerge when the people closest to the challenges are part of the conversation. For that reason, we chose a different path.
In the next iteration of the course, half of the participants were physician leaders and half were members of our executive team. That mix created a new level of alignment. Conversations shifted from “The problem is when they …” to “We have this solution.” What surprised our team was that in focusing on clinician burnout, we had missed a key component of our healthcare landscape: the hospital executive team. With this joint partnership model for the course, we again saw double-digit improvement in burnout inventory scores, along with stronger confidence in leadership across teams.
As we enter our fourth year of this leadership course, the lesson is clear: When physicians are invited to invest in the solution, when research funding is used creatively and when hospital leaders are part of the journey, the result is sustained cultural change.
Anjalee Galion, MD, MBA, is Chief Wellness Officer and President of Medical Staff for Rady Children’s Health in Orange County.
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