Burnout among health professions educators and leaders is prevalent due to increasingly heavy workloads, administrative demands, and emotional strain. Studies indicate high rates of burnout, which impact teaching quality and faculty retention (American Psychological Association, 2024). Addressing support systems and emotional well-being are crucial ingredients for mitigating burnout's adverse effects on educators and their learners—our future healthcare professionals.
Using trained facilitators, Balint groups are small, structured, psychologically safe gatherings centered on humanistic aspects of patient care that allow participants the chance to meet regularly and discuss their experiences, emotions, and challenges in clinical practice. While Balint groups are traditionally rooted in the medical field, offering a unique and effective approach to supporting physician well-being, they have been increasingly used to support other health professionals in more recent years (Yazdankhahfard, et al., 2019). By providing a safe space for perspective-taking, practitioners discuss the complex emotions sometimes experienced while providing care, fostering mutual support, empathy, and understanding. Through regular group meetings, reflective dialogue, and shared experiences, participants gain insights, coping strategies, and renewed empathy, which can mitigate burnout by promoting professional satisfaction, resilience, and improved patient care (McCarron, et. al., 2023).
At the MGH Institute of Health Professions (IHP), a novel interprofessional Balint group initiative was piloted to provide a safe space for healthcare professional educators and leaders from various disciplines to come together and reflect on their relationships, experiences, and challenges in patient care, the classroom and student interactions. The Balint groups provide support for vulnerability and foster empathy, collaboration, perspective-taking, deeper insights, and personal growth through facilitated discussions and peer support. Early participant feedback suggests that regular opportunities for colleague connection and reflective practice enhance individual resiliency and empathy and strengthen interprofessional relationships to support community-building.
This Lightning Talk describes the experience of establishing a Balint group in a non-traditional setting with interprofessional educators and leaders. The presenters will use their respective lenses to describe their Balint training and the design and implementation process, including collaborating with administrators to garner support for a community well-being initiative. The presenters will highlight the lessons learned and the value of interprofessional Balint groups in a health professions education setting and how it specifically fosters connection, discourse, and well-being, which can, in turn, sustain interprofessional education and leadership by decreasing the impact of burnout.
In support of improving patient care, this activity is planned and implemented by The National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education Office of Interprofessional Continuing Professional Development (National Center OICPD). The National Center OICPD is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
As a Jointly Accredited Provider, the National Center is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. The National Center maintains responsibility for this course. Social workers completing this course receive continuing education credits.
The National Center OICPD (JA#: 4008105) is approved by the Board of Certification, Inc. to provide continuing education to Athletic Trainers (ATs).
This activity was planned by and for the healthcare team, and learners will receive Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credit for learning and change.
Physicians: The National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education designates this live activity for AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with their participation.
Physician Assistants: The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) accepts credit from organizations accredited by the ACCME.
Nurses: Participants will be awarded contact hours of credit for attendance at this workshop.
Nurse Practitioners: The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Program (AANPCP) accepts credit from organizations accredited by the ACCME and ANCC.
Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians: This activity is approved for contact hours.
Athletic Trainers: This program is eligible for Category A hours/CEUs. ATs should claim only those hours actually spent in the educational program.
Social Workers: As a Jointly Accredited Organization, the National Center is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. The National Center maintains responsibility for this course. Social workers completing this course receive continuing education credits.
IPCE: This activity was planned by and for the healthcare team, and learners will receive Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credits for learning and change.
Learners can claim CE credit by completing the Daily Evaluation.
