SAEM Outstanding Department for Wellness Award

The Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) invites nominations for the Outstanding Department for Wellness Award. This accolade honors Emergency Medicine Departments that exhibit a profound commitment to fostering a wellness-centric culture. Outstanding departments demonstrate dedication to maintaining a learning and work environment that minimizes burnout and maximizes professional fulfillment. Recognized departments distinguish themselves through the initiation of organizational measures, the formulation of exemplary practices, and endeavors to improve the physical and mental health of emergency department personnel. 
Departments that have previously received the Outstanding Department for Wellness Award will be ineligible for consideration for a period of five years.

The nomination period for 2025 SAEM Awards is October 1 to December 9, 2024.

Please note that the SAEM Awards Committee has developed a standardized letter template for you to use when creating your nomination packet.

Eligibility

1. Applicant departments must be academic, defined by having an EM training program 
2. Divisions or departments of EM are eligible
3. Pediatric EM divisions housed within a department of Pediatrics or PEM departments within a Children’s Hospital are not eligible. PEM divisions housed within a Department of EM may be considered as part of a department’s application. 

Selection Criteria: 

Nominated departments will be judged for evidence of: 

1. Demonstrated success in creating and implementing initiatives aimed at promoting departmental wellness
   • Please describe the initiatives implemented, including summary statistics of participation in and impact of these initiatives.
   • Please include evidence of how the department gathers and incorporates feedback for wellness initiatives to ensure initiatives continue to meet staff needs in an evolving healthcare landscape.
2. Contributions to the field of physician wellness research.
   • Please list contributions to original research in peer-reviewed journals, research support generated through grants and contracts, peer-reviewed research presentations 
3. Efforts to foster a culture of wellness within the Emergency Department. 
   • Please include evidence demonstrating equitable access to wellness resources and fostering of an inclusive environment
   • Please describe how your culture of wellness has contributed to faculty and staff retention within the past 5-10 years. This could include information such as data on faculty retention including race,  ethnicity, gender, seniority, and reason for leaving, if available

Guidelines

The nomination must include:

• One nomination letter from a faculty member within the department detailing the department’s qualifications for the award (these may use the standardized letter template or be written free-form, limited to 2 pages). 
• One letter of support from a Chair or Vice Chair (these may use the standardized letter template or be written free-form, limited to 2 pages) 
• Letters of support should include examples of the programs and practices mentioned in Selection Criteria above.
  
• Support letters should reference specific programs and practices aligned with the above selection criteria. 
  
• Additionally, nominations should include a high-resolution color photograph of the department or the academic center's logo (.jpg, 300 DPI) for internal use. 
• Please provide the nominator's contact details, including mailing address, phone and fax numbers, and email address, along with the contact information for the department's administrator or media liaison to be notified in the event of an award.