New Peer-Reviewed Research Study Shows Fellowship Program Reduces Burnout and Cultivates Well-Being and Joy in the Medical Profession
NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care, an educational non-profit founded and led by two Zen monks, Koshin Paley Ellison Sensei, MFA, LMSW, DMIN, and Chodo Robert Campbell Sensei, GC-C, conducted research on the center’s inaugural Contemplative Medicine Fellowship, a training developed in response to the medical community’s urgent call to address the burnout crisis prevalent in the medical profession. The groundbreaking study is being published in a peer-reviewed medical journal and is already available online. Its results show that medical profession burnout can be reduced by systematically implementing contemplative practices that prioritize compassion and an integrated personal and professional life.
The Contemplative Medicine Fellowship is a year-long professional development training specifically designed for physicians, advanced practice registered nurses, and physician assistants. In contrast to conventional site-specific fellowships, this program allows Fellows to engage from anywhere in the world and supports their existing responsibilities as practicing clinicians, medical educators, researchers, administrators, or leaders, regardless of specialty. Training involves actively developing the skills needed to sustainably practice compassionate medicine without sacrificing well-being through the integration of contemplative practices such as meditation, mindfulness, generous listening, community and relationship building, narrative medicine, and cultivating compassion.
The study demonstrated statistically significant improvement in all three dimensions of the leading measure for burnout in medical professionals: decreased emotional exhaustion, decreased depersonalization (unfeeling and impersonal response toward patients), and increased personal accomplishment. Participants also reported a sense of resiliency and joy, despite difficult and ongoing working circumstances.
“We are honored to share the evidence-based results of the Contemplative Medicine Fellowship, one of our essential trainings addressing contemporary challenges and applying contemplative practices to support individuals caring for those who are suffering,” shares Koshin Paley Ellison. “The study’s findings have wide impact potential when considering physician well-being, fewer medical errors, higher patient satisfaction, and improved career longevity. This will have a tremendous impact on the medical community. It also addresses the root cause of the burnout by addressing loneliness, exhaustion, and anxiety with the medicine of contemplation, connection and community.”
The Contemplative Medicine Fellowship is offered annually July–June, and applications for the 2024–2025 academic year are now being accepted.
About the New York Zen Center:
The New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care (NYZC) is an educational nonprofit with a three-fold mission training people from all walks of life—including medical professionals, parents, lawyers, artists and bankers—in compassionate care; guiding people interested in beginning Soto Zen meditation or continuing in their existing practice; and supporting people and their loved ones through serious illness and death and assisting family and friends during their grieving process. The Zen Center’s worldwide community of educators, Zen practitioners, and contemplative care partners celebrates and honors the continuum of life’s meaningful moments. Since opening in 2007, the Zen Center has been a trailblazer in researching, testing and developing contemplative care methodologies. Today, New York Zen Center’s techniques are internationally recognized and have touched the lives of tens of thousands of individuals. They offer daily meditation practice both in person and online.
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