A peer support program is one of the most effective ways that a healthcare organization can both safeguard and advance its workforce’s well-being. Fortunately, this is now common knowledge among many healthcare leaders, and most organizations’ chief wellness officers (CWOs) make launching a peer support program a high priority upon taking the job.
Still, it’s not a case of “build it and they will come.” Many newly created peer support programs struggle to get physicians and care team members to reach out when they need help after a traumatic experience on the job. So the AMA has set out to help healthcare organizations build successful, highly utilized peer support programs—even if they don’t yet have a CWO in place.
The AMA Peer Support Workshop is a two-day, in-person experience that provides practical tools and proven strategies to help you launch or reinvigorate your peer support program. It is designed for:
- Healthcare executive leaders.
- Well-being, patient safety and quality leaders.
- Peer support program directors or emerging program champions.
- Clinical managers, educators and risk-management leaders.
The workshop will be held Oct. 28–29 at the AMA headquarters in Chicago. Learn more and register now.
The event reflects the AMA’s role as the leader in physician well-being, providing organizational solutions that help physicians and health systems optimize practice efficiency, reduce burnout, and rediscover the Joy in Medicine®.
Learn real-world lessons
One of the added benefits of the workshop is guidance on preparing for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) new Patient Safety Structural Measure, which now includes care-for-the-caregiver support after adverse events as part of its patient-safety framework.
“This is significant because CMS is explicitly recognizing that supporting caregivers after adverse events is not just a well-being initiative—it is part of a health system’s overarching patient-safety infrastructure,” said Heather Farley, MD, MHCDS, the AMA’s group vice president of professional satisfaction and practice sustainability. Dr. Farley is one of the workshop’s five featured speakers.
Historically, peer support programs were often viewed as a “nice to have”, Dr. Farley noted. But hospitals and health systems are increasingly expected to demonstrate formal caregiver-support processes, structured postevent-response systems and evidence-based approaches to supporting physicians and other health professionals after adverse events.
“This makes peer support an increasingly important part of an organization’s broader patient-safety strategy,” she said.
Get the keys to culture change
Peer support is an impactful strategy, but implementing it can be hugely challenging for healthcare organizations if they do not have the right expertise in this specialized area. Another benefit of the workshop is gaining knowledge of how to promote culture change and remove barriers to help-seeking.
In fact, support is one of the six domains of the AMA Joy in Medicine® Recognition Program, which was developed by the AMA to empower health systems to reduce burnout and build well-being so that physicians—and their patients—thrive.
“For a long time, there was a culture in healthcare of stoicism after a traumatic event, where you're supposed to just get back on the horse,” Dr. Farley said. “We've done a lot of work trying to decrease the stigma around help seeking and to normalize the need for support, either just general mental health support or support after adverse events.”
But many of those barriers still exist, Dr. Farley noted.
“We feel so strongly that a peer support program is essential that we have included it at the bronze level of the Joy in Medicine Program,” she said. “It shouldn’t be an aspirational practice reserved for the most advanced organizations—it should be part of the foundational infrastructure for supporting the health care workforce.”
Through the workshop’s many sessions and breakout activities, you will also learn how to:
- Engage key stakeholders and foster collaborative partnerships.
- Build a scalable, sustainable program based on proven frameworks.
- Track program participation, evaluate outcomes and demonstrate organizational value.
Gain a community too
The AMA Peer Support Workshop includes access to three post-workshop virtual learning sessions to help you move from iteration to successful execution.
"Expert faculty will support you as you progress through implementation,” Dr. Farley said.
The workshop is just one part of the AMA Career Advancement Collective, a powerful suite of educational programs and training to help physicians develop and advance at every stage of their career.
Upcoming Career Advancement Collective events include the:
- AMA Independent Practice Accelerator Workshop, Sept. 11–12.
- American Conference on Physician Health®, Oct. 14–16, 2027.
Learn more and register for one of these career-shaping events now.
