Thriving In and Out of the Reading Room: A Faculty Development Workshop

Given the immense time and energy radiologists dedicate to their profession, the experience at work should be a major contributor to a meaningful and fulfilling life. In pursuit of this vision, our department launched a novel faculty development workshop entitled "Thriving In and Out of the Reading Room: What They Didn't Teach Us in Training." We report on the design, implementation and initial outcomes of this faculty development workshop.

The workshop drew upon positive psychology research and the PERMA model of well-being, which encompasses five key elements: Positive emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Achievement. These elements have been shown to enhance work satisfaction and foster resilience. Using interactive, small group exercises, the workshop provided strategies for incorporating PERMA elements into daily life. At the conclusion of each workshop, an anonymous voluntary electronic survey was distributed to participants.

The final version of the workshop was offered to 58 faculty over eight sessions between September 2022 and May 2023. Survey results indicate that participants found the workshop to be highly valuable and practical. They also found the workshop to promote camaraderie and peer learning. Developing the workshop internally allowed us to customize it to our faculty's unique experiences and engage a large number of participants.

The workshop shows promise in improving job satisfaction and addressing burnout among academic radiologists.