Voices of U of U Health
Find Your Joy
By Wendy Hobson-Rohrer, MD, MSPH
There’s a lot going on in our world. There’s also a whole lot going on in our classrooms. As educators, we’re all very busy, and the constant changes around us can be overwhelming. But even in the midst of all that, there is still a lot of space for joy.
The Power of Fun in Teaching and Learning
Last year, as we were thinking about education strategy at University of Utah Health, one of our goals was to promote joy in teaching and learning. We wanted to foster a culture where both students and faculty could be fulfilled and engaged in the educational experience.
One way of thinking about joy that really resonates with me is something called “true fun,” which Catherine Price talks about in her book, “The Power of Fun.” True fun, Price says, comes from a combination of three states: playfulness, connection, and flow.
Playfulness
Playfulness means you’re laughing; you're enjoying yourself. Maybe you’re wearing your pink polka-dotted jacket or bright colored running shoes. It might seem that we don’t have time for playfulness with everything going on in our world, or when we’re preparing for something important. But playfulness doesn’t have to take up time.
I like to find silly little things that make me smile in the midst of chaos. Even something as simple as having Snoopy on my Apple Watch, which I can look down at any time, helps lighten my mood and find a moment of playfulness.
Connection
The second component of true fun is connection. This one’s interesting because some people might feel like they’d rather be alone. But even introverts need connection. According to Price, it’s connection with other people that gets you to true fun.
As educators, connection can mean building community with our residents, with the attendings, or with colleagues. We can also bring playfulness into those connections.
Five or 10 years ago, a few colleagues and I were going to an outdoor event when it started pouring rain. We were absolutely drenched, but rather than get upset, we chose to see the humor in our misery. So instead of being miserable, we all just thought it was funny, and we still laugh about it now. It’s important to have those memorable moments with yourself and with the people you work with. They help deepen our connections.
Flow
The third ingredient state of true fun is flow. Flow means that you're totally in it, that you’re not thinking about anything else. After all, while we all have potentially joyful moments, we sometimes miss them because we’re not present.
We tend to focus on the bigger wins, like graduations, but there are a lot of small wins that must happen to get to these big wins. We need to celebrate the small wins too. Doing so helps us stay in the moment; stay in the flow.
Creating rituals of reflection can also help with flow. I'm trying to get better at reflection, and I think it can happen in a lot of different ways. If you’re somebody who likes to journal, that's great. Reflect by writing things down. If you like to talk with others, try sharing your reflections with them. What matters is that you have the chance to think about the small wins and about what gives you joy.
These wins and small, daily joys don’t have to be profound. One way I find joy is through diamond painting, which is like paint-by-numbers but with little bedazzling gems that I stick onto a canvas. It's not profound at all, but it gives me great joy. And when I’m done with a project, I get to share it with others.
As an educator, a small win might be the “aha” moment when a student selects the correct antibiotic to give for strep throat. For somebody who's practiced pediatrics for 30 years, that might not be a big deal, but it’s a win for a new student. Another small win might be when a student has been struggling to think through a concept, and all of a sudden, they get it. Or maybe your small win is just that you got a hug from a patient.
Whatever your small wins are, taking time to reflect on them is great for sustaining the joy you feel in the moment.
Finding Your “Why”
In our quest for joy and true fun, I’ll add a fourth concept to playfulness, connection, and flow: finding your “why.” Why are you doing what you do?
My “why” is using education to improve the health of the community. I know I can make a bigger impact by educating than I can by just seeing an individual patient. As educators, whenever we teach, we create ripples that extend far beyond the classroom.
I remember medical students I worked with—even before I knew I was going to become an educator—who I shared insights with about how to connect with patients and families. Now that these students have gone on to become educators and physicians themselves, it’s really joyful to look back and think about all the people these students have affected.
All of this is to say that I invite you to notice joy. Nurture it and then spread it. Because when we celebrate the joy already around us, our students do better. In fact, we all do better.
This blog was adapted from a keynote address delivered at the Annual Symposium for the Academy of Health Sciences Educators (AHSE), September 2025.
