Chief Wellness Officer

Training and Certification

Become a leader in your organization!

This six-week immersion course is designed for physicians who desire to expand their guidance and impact as a leader in physician wellness initiatives within their organization or institution.

Each week is composed of a combination of focused lectures and assignments designed to help participants cultivate expertise as a leader in physician well-being within organizations.

The pinnacle of the program is a guided six-week capstone project that promotes active learning and demonstration of foundational principles. The capstone project takes physicians step by step through the process of creating a physician wellness program that is customized for their unique organization.

Chief Wellness Officer Certification and Training

Winter 2023

Jan 23 – Mar 04, 2023

Chief Wellness Officer Certification and Training

Spring 2023

Apr 03 – May 13, 2023

Chief Wellness Officer Certification and Training

Fall 2023

Oct 02 – Nov 11, 2023

Features of the capstone project include:

Mapping the current situation with a clarity of needs, interests and available resources
Identifying the ideal program, customized to each unique environment including current gaps and needs for success
Strategically identifying stakeholders and developing skills to foster success despite potential differences of interests
Skillfully creating a culture of psychological safety

Aligning values of all interested parties to promote a culture of wellness
Developing details of the structure of program, multiple aspects of the pitch and factors that impact alignment
Optimizing a current chief wellness program, if relevant
Integrating the role of physician leadership in multiple settings

Upon graduation of this program,

the physician will be certified as a Chief Wellness Officer

Curriculum Timeline

Week	Theme	Module A	Module B
Week 1 (Foundational)	Culture	Intro / Overview	Culture
Week 2 (Foundational)	Personal Optimization	Self-Care	Intersection of Wellbeing & Quality
Week 3 (Foundational)	Organization	Efficiency	Leadership
Week 4 (Transformational)	The Shift	C-Suit	Program Structure
Week 5 (Transformational)	Engagement	Teams	Culture Change
Week 6	Capstones

Get All The Answers To Your Questions

Do I have to be a physician to enroll in this program?

No.

This six-week immersion course is designed for physicians and concludes with capstone project that promotes active learning and demonstration of foundational principles. Upon graduation of this program, the physician will be certified as a Chief Wellness Officer.

The Institute of Physician Wellness is committed to supporting professional well being for all members of the healthcare team. We have currently expanded the wellness training to include nurses and APPs in our audience. The curriculum will be an intensive and in-depth dive into professional wellbeing, models for approach, leadership, organizational resilience, and more. The Capstone project for CWO certification is not currently available for non-physicians, however completion of the IPW cohort formally recognizes all participants.

Join our program but skip the capstone project and certification! This will allow you to function as a wellness champion and local expert…a terrific option for those who work with a CWO.
Program Cost: $7300 Register with a discount code by clicking the registration button above and using the Discount Code: CWODISCOUNT1400 (Only for those that do not want the capstone project and do not wish to be certified.)

Who are the program instructors?

Alicia Kowalski, MD serves as Program Director in collaboration with Kathy Stepien, MD.

What is the program fee?

The fee for this program is $8700.

What is included in the program fee?

The program fee includes:

Program lectures including insight from the latest research in the field and its application to real-life settings.
Ten learning modules, including recommended reading and assignments
Facilitated, large group discussions
Small-group study pods of up to 5 physicians
Oversight and guidance of the capstone project
Capstone presentations
24/7 access to the program portal with recordings, assignments, handouts, and more
A community of like-minded physician leaders in organizational wellness efforts and programs

What is the time commitment?

This immersion program will be held on zoom for two hours, twice per week. In addition to formal didactic time, physicians should designate two hours per week on average for out-of-class activities such as working on their capstone project independently or within their small group.

This program meets twice weekly for six weeks.

Tuesday:
5-7pm Pacific / 6-8pm Mountain / 7-9pm Central / 8-10pm Eastern

Saturday:
7-9am Pacific / 8-11am Mountain / 9-11am Central /10-12pm Eastern

What if I have to miss a lecture?

Recordings of program lectures will be uploaded to the portal within 24 hours to review at your convenience.

What is your cancellation policy?

Refund Policy: Cancellations made 30 days prior to the program will be refunded the full registration amount minus a nonrefundable $100 processing fee. All cancellations made for any reason after that date are nonrefundable. No exceptions or transfers can be made.

The Institute for Physician Wellness, LLC reserves the right to cancel or postpone any program due to unforeseen circumstances. In the unlikely event of a cancellation or postponement, The Institute for Physician Wellness, LLC will refund the registration fee minus the nonrefundable $100 processing fee, but is not responsible for any other related costs or charges to the participant.

Who do I contact if I have questions?

Please email us at admin@instituteforphysicianwellness.com

Physician Continuing Medical Education

Continuing Education Inc designates this live activity for a maximum of 24 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest

Continuing Education Inc and The Institute for Physician Wellness require instructors, planners, managers and other individuals who are in a position to control the content of this activity to disclose any real or apparent conflict of interest (COI) they may have as related to the content of this activity. All identified COI are thoroughly vetted and resolved according to CEI policy. The existence or absence of COI for everyone in a position to control content will be disclosed to participants prior to the start of each activity.

Americans with Disabilities Act

Program staff will be glad to assist you with any special needs (ie zoom, written content). Please contact admin@instituteforphysicianwellness.com prior to the start of program.

Joint Accreditation Statement

In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by Continuing Education Inc and The Institute for Physician Wellness in full accordance with the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME).

"I chose to take the IPW’s CWO certification program with the anticipation that I would be appointed the CWO for my institution, but I didn’t have much of an idea what that role would look like and what I would actually do. Through the course of the 6 week program, Dr. Kowalski very effectively taught a comprehensive curriculum about all aspects of what an informed and skilled CWO needs to know, as well as mentored each student in the program to identify their specific institutional situation and how to best approach their leadership role in developing a comprehensive wellbeing program for their institution. I concluded the program and went on to give my capstone presentation to my hospital’s medical executive committee, and it was extremely well-received! I am now the chief physician wellness officer, and am in the process of creating my team! I cannot recommend IPW’s CWO certification program highly enough!"

"This CWO training and certification program was invaluable in changing my approach to developing a Wellness program at my institution. Each session and the Capstone project helped to deepen my knowledge of the literature and how to use available resources to develop a program that was tailored to my institution and that could be effectively implemented. Alicia offered a safe and open environment to discuss problems and hurdles."

Already a certified CWO?

JOIN OUR VIBRANT COMMUNITY OF CHIEF WELLNESS OFFICERS!

Meet bi-monthly for:

Live Group Discussions and Coaching Sessions on the First and Third Thursday of Each Month at 3:00 pm PST/6:00 pm EST
24/7 Access to Basecamp Content, Additional Resources, and Recordings
Up-to-Date National Recommendations to Support Your Impact
Community Forum: Continuous Sharing of Best Practices and Potential for Collaboration
Access to Leaders and Contemporaries Working for the Change We Want to See in Medicine

Alicia Kowalski, MD

Physician, Educator, Consultant

Alicia Kowalski, MD, is an international speaker and leader in Physician Wellness. She is a full-time, board-certified anesthesiologist in Houston, Texas and is the lead instructor of the CWO Training and Certification Program. Her warm and engaging teaching style creates an unparalleled learning environment for this premiere program.

Additional training includes

Kathy Stepien, MD

Physician, Coach, Leader

Kathy Stepien, MD, is a board-certified pediatrician in active practice and the founding Director of the Institute for Physician Wellness. Her mission is to improve physician well-being at the personal level, the organizational level and within the larger culture of Medicine. Her favorite line? “This work matters!”

Dr. Stepien is available to students to meet during office hours throughout the duration of the CWO program. This additional support can help enhance teaching topics, clarify direction and focus, and guide progress of the capstone project.