# [Department] Anesthesia Wellness Committee Charter **Version:** 1.0 **Effective date:** [Date] **Approved by:** [Department Chief or Chair Name, Title] **Review cycle:** Annual, with revision during April of each year --- ## 1. Purpose The [Department] Anesthesia Wellness Committee exists to advance the psychological, physical, and professional wellbeing of anesthesia providers in [Department], and to reduce preventable clinical and staffing harm arising from provider distress. The Committee operates as a standing advisory and programmatic body under the department chief. ## 2. Scope Wellbeing and programmatic recommendations of the Committee apply to all anesthesia clinical and trainee staff, specifically: - Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) - Certified Anesthesiologist Assistants (CAAs) - Student Registered Nurse Anesthetists (SRNAs) on departmental rotation - Anesthesiologists, including fellows and residents if embedded in the department - Administrative staff directly supporting clinical operations ## 3. Guiding principles 1. Discussions of individual cases are peer-review privileged and not shared outside the committee. 2. Programming is evidence-informed; interventions without evidence, or with evidence of harm, are not adopted. 3. Participation in all wellness resources is voluntary and confidential. 4. Reports to departmental and institutional leadership focus on aggregate trends and programmatic outcomes. No individual is ever named. 5. The Committee is not a disciplinary body. Concerns meeting statutory reporting thresholds are routed through the institution's and state's existing pathways. ## 4. Membership ### 4.1 Composition | Role | Term | Time commitment | |------|------|-----------------| | Chair | 2 years, renewable once | 0.05–0.10 FTE, protected | | Vice Chair / Chair-elect | 1 year, transitioning to Chair | ~3 hrs / month | | 4–6 voting members | 2 years, staggered | ~2 hrs / month | | Trainee representative (SRNA or resident) | 1 year | ~2 hrs / month | | Administrative liaison | Indefinite | ~2 hrs / month | | Department chief | Ex officio, non-voting | Standing invitation | Voting membership should reflect role diversity (CRNA, CAA, anesthesiologist), shift diversity (days, nights, call-heavy, ambulatory), and seniority diversity (new-to-practice through late-career). ### 4.2 Selection Members are nominated by the Chair and approved by a simple majority vote of the sitting Committee. The department chief may suggest nominees but does not unilaterally appoint voting members. ### 4.3 Removal and vacancy A member may be removed by two-thirds vote of the Committee for repeated non-attendance (defined as three consecutive missed meetings without notice) or for conduct inconsistent with the guiding principles. Vacancies are filled within 60 days following the Section 4.2 process. ### 4.4 Conflict of interest Members disclose any material conflicts of interest at onboarding and at any time during tenure when one arises. Members recuse from deliberations where they hold a direct financial, personal, or supervisory relationship that would materially bias a decision. ## 5. Meetings - **Monthly meeting:** 60 minutes, recurring, protected time. Quorum is 50% of voting membership. Minutes are circulated within five business days and retained under the Committee's confidentiality provisions. - **Quarterly strategy session:** Half-day. Reviews data, re-prioritizes programming, and prepares leadership reports. - **Annual board-level report:** Prepared by the Chair in coordination with the department chief; reviewed by the full Committee prior to submission. ## 6. Decision rights The Committee holds: - **Advisory authority** over departmental scheduling, call density, policy changes affecting provider wellbeing, and resource allocation decisions material to wellness programming. - **Direct authority** over the programming budget described in Section 8. - **Veto authority** over any wellness-branded departmental initiative the Committee judges to be counterproductive or inconsistent with evidence. Exercise of veto requires a two-thirds vote and a written rationale provided to the department chief within 10 business days. ## 7. Confidentiality - Deliberations of individual cases are peer-review privileged under the applicable state statute governing peer review. The Committee does not retain individually identifiable information beyond what is necessary for the immediate matter. - Intake concerns routed through the Chair are held in confidence. Disclosure occurs only with the concerned party's explicit written consent, where required by law, or where required to protect patient safety or the safety of the individual. - The Committee does not possess or exercise any role in credentialing, licensing, or occurrence reporting. Matters meeting institutional or state reporting thresholds are routed to the appropriate authority by the Chair or designee, with contemporaneous documentation. ## 8. Funding An annual programming budget of $[amount] is approved by department leadership at the start of each fiscal year. Typical line items include: - Peer responder training (initial cohort and annual refresher) - Validated survey instrument licensing where applicable - Programming events (speaker fees, materials, refreshments) - Chair stipend or protected-time backfill - Contingency for second-victim response (external counseling sessions, coverage for affected staff) Unspent funds roll forward one fiscal year. The Committee provides quarterly budget reports to the department chief. ## 9. Reporting - **Monthly:** Summary minutes circulated to committee members and the department chief. - **Quarterly:** Engagement metrics and programming summary provided to the department chief. - **Annually:** Board-level report covering burnout prevalence (aggregated survey data), voluntary turnover, peer-support utilization, schedule audit findings, and the following year's proposed budget. ## 10. Dissolution and amendment ### 10.1 Amendment This charter is reviewed annually and may be amended at any time by a majority vote of the Committee. Amendments take effect upon written notification to the department chief. ### 10.2 Dissolution Dissolution of the Committee requires a written decision from the department chief in consultation with the institutional chief wellness officer (or equivalent). A dissolution event triggers the following: - Written notice to all clinical staff with reasoning and a summary of Committee accomplishments - Archival of minutes and aggregated data under applicable peer-review and records-retention policy - Disposition of the remaining programming budget ## Appendix A — Local resource directory [The Committee maintains and updates the following contact list annually. Populate before ratification of this charter.] - State nurse peer assistance program (CRNAs): __________ - State physician health program: __________ - Institutional Employee Assistance Program: __________ - Second-victim or peer-support program (e.g., RISE, forYOU): __________ - Institutional chief wellness officer: __________ - Chaplaincy / pastoral care: __________ - 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (national) - Physician Support Line: 1-888-409-0141 (physicians and medical students) --- ## Signatures **Chair, Anesthesia Wellness Committee** Name: ________________________________ Signature: ________________________________ Date: __________ **Department Chief** Name: ________________________________ Signature: ________________________________ Date: __________