Conceptualizing Professional Development Through 6 Dimensions of Wellness

Professional development and wellness are typically viewed as separate but equally important areas that contribute to an individual’s professional identity. Leadership in academic institutions must determine how to address these areas across the faculty life cycle and must discover how professional development and wellness intersect. Leaders can make intentional decisions to choose professional development activities for their department that align with wellness. This article highlights the variety of activities that align with the 6 dimensions of wellness (intellectual, occupational, physical, social, emotional, and spiritual) at a departmental level, as demonstrated in the activities of 2 orthopaedic surgery departments. Examples from these departments include a bite-size (10 to 15-minute session) faculty development program (intellectual and occupational wellness), physical health opportunities on campus and physical health awareness initiatives that are specific to surgeons (physical wellness), executive coaching programs to enhance meaning and purpose (spiritual wellness), the integration of local culture in journal clubs and alumni events (social wellness), and assessments of behavioral style to build self-awareness and insight (emotional wellness). Data are presented that demonstrate faculty satisfaction following participation in professional development activities. The aim of this article was to provide a framework, based on the 6 dimensions of wellness, for orthopaedic leaders to evaluate how they approach professional development and the areas in which they can successfully integrate these ideas to support faculty growth. Leaders can promote wellness at work through established professional development programs and by developing new initiatives aimed at benefiting faculty holistically across ≥1 of the 6 dimensions of wellness.