(Management Case Study) Culture Connections: Champion Joy in Work with a Shared Purpose of Patient Care

Purpose: The Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is a large department of over 200 employees with roles involved in research, academia, clinical, operations, administrative, financial, and informatics. All these individuals may exhibit both resilience and burnout. Burnout within the healthcare industry correlates to worsening of patient satisfaction, productivity, and patient care as defined by Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) Framework for Improving Joy in Work. With patient care and staff resilience as the driving force, the Community Culture Committee was established to champion a safe, respectful, supportive working environment within the department.

Methods: In January 2023, the Community Culture Committee was formed with committee members from diverse roles within the department (i.e. pharmacists, clinical specialists, technicians, administration, leadership) with the primary objective to create and champion a safe, respectful, supportive working environment and encourage joy in our daily patient care. Our committee understands that culture and community cannot be neglected, but instead must be continually nurtured and supported. To establish common language, the committee read, discussed, and assessed our department through the lens of The Culture Code by Daniel Coyle. The committee learned that teams who thrive are built on safety, share vulnerability, and establish a unified purpose. The unified purpose comes naturally at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital with our mission “to advance cures, and means of prevention, for pediatric catastrophic diseases through research and treatment.” However, building a safe space and sharing vulnerability begins with trust amongst colleagues and understanding of one another. The focus of the committee is crafted around creating opportunities and expected rhythms of connection, inclusion, and to build trust for all roles, regardless of physical work location. The committee has created many opportunities for building relationships both inside and outside of the normal work environment, including holiday celebrations, friendly competitions, shared mealtimes, patient service events (Bingo games), as well as unexpected treats and staff recognition.

Results: The success of the committee is recognized by internal staff and at the institutional level. In September 2023, St. Jude Insider published an article titled “Feel Good Friday: Pharmaceutical Services Building Culture of Connection,” highlighting the committee’s vision to unify the department and encourage resilience amongst the staff. Personal reflections by Pharmacy Services staff include, “There is enough negativity in the world. We want to create a working environment that radiates positivity, and “It’s important to talk about the hard things, but it’s also vital to connect with each other over simple things too. We want to provide balance.” Simple rhythms have included a monthly bulletin board in which participation and engagement virtually and physically is encouraged (e.g., Boggle, word search, gratitude board, words of affirmation, March Madness, and getting to know you). To provide appreciation to overnight staff members, the committee established Marvelous Midnights, which is when the committee provides treats, snacks, and happies. Opportunities for connection have included department potlucks, annual cocoa bar, sharing Joy in Work, and participating in patient service events. All of these have fostered stronger relationships within the department and have impacted morale at both an individual and collective level.

Conclusion: Community Culture Committee within Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital desires to create rhythms that are long lasting to decrease burnout and promote resilience amongst the team members. Culture does not just matter today. It matters next week and next year. A strong team culture within healthcare motivates us to provide exceptional patient care. In addition, by establishing opportunities for connection, our department has witnessed increased engagement and belonging.