Strategy: This year, the daily challenges have been expanded and allow for more time for consideration and submissions.

Prizes: Winners will be selected by our committee after April 13, and winning teams will be contacted mid-April.

NB: All submissions will be available for use by ACEP for later publications, re-posting, etc.

Rules and Details

You can enter the Group Challenge either as a department (faculty or staff) or as a residency program (residents + faculty). You will need to declare a team captain and number of team members.

Participation and prizes are based on your department/team’s completion of two steps:

1. Create and submit a wellness mission statement; and
2. Complete a group wellness activity of your choosing (options described below)

Due to significant interest, the deadline has been EXTENDED!

These two steps must be completed and submitted, along with the registration form by April 13, 2019.

Members from the ACEP Well-Being Committee will judge all participants who meet the above criteria. The panel will select one winner from each of the activity option categories. Prizes include iEMWell t-shirts, commemorative plaque, feature during Wellness Week 2019, and a write-up in ACEP Now. One team captain/lead organizer chosen from the winning team will receive free registration to ACEP19 in Denver, CO!

Winning teams will be notified by email mid-April.

Let’s get started!

Step 1: Wellness Mission Statement

Write a mission statement for your department/residency team with focus on the well-being of all members. This statement should be signed and endorsed by your medical director, department chair, or residency director.

If your department already has a mission statement, great! Now is a good time to re-examine it to ensure it matches your groups current vision and goals. If writing a departmental wellness mission statement for the first time, draft some ideas and set up a meeting to discuss with leadership.

We recommend your statement include multiple wellness dimensions (i.e. physical, social, intellectual, financial, emotional, occupational, spiritual). This statement should center around inclusivity, attainability, and be supportive of the well-being of EM physicians and/or residents.

Submit your signed mission statement along with the registration form.

Step 2: Group Wellness Activity

Choose from one of the following activities to complete as a group/team. Attach documentation/media etc. demonstrating completion of your chosen activity, along with the registration form and your signed mission statement.

Option 1: Step Challenge

• Select a 7-day period of your choosing to record steps achieved by your group.
• Steps will be totaled and then divided by the number of people you designate in your group on your registration form.
• Must submit proof of steps achieved for each team member (i.e pictures from a tracking device or app with weekly step count).

Option 2: Demonstration of Wellness Activity Participation

• Submit documentation of your group/team participating in a department sponsored group wellness activity.
• Examples of supportive documentation include a video documentary, photographs (5-10), power point with voice-over, or a written summary.
• This activity will be judged on the percentage of members participating and how the activity demonstrates commitment to physician wellness and utilization of resources by group members.

Option 3: Gratitude Challenge

• Select a 7-day period of your choosing to record things you are grateful for.
• Examples could include creating a gratitude jar that participants fill with post-it notes with written comments, or creating a group message board where members can post what they are grateful for during the week-long challenge.
• This activity will be judged on percentage of group participation.

Option 4: Random Acts of Kindness Challenge

• Select a 7-day period of your choosing to “pay-it-forward” to other members of your group/department.
• Examples could include buying coffee, coming into shift early to relieve a co-worker, or collect clothes or food for a local shelter.
• Take photos of each act and send to your team captain to record for the week.
• This activity will be judged on percentage of group participation.