Identifying and Managing Clinician Burnout – Don’t go up in Smoke!
Burnout is a term we have all come to know and unfortunately occurs in nearly every all profession across the globe. The World Health Organization classifies burnout as an ‘occupational phenomenon.’ The American Institute of Stress defines burnout as a work-related stress that can manifest in several ways, most commonly as exhaustion, negativity, and lack of enthusiasm towards one’s job—ultimately resulting in a decreased ability to perform job functions. As healthcare providers, we are particularly susceptible to feelings of burnout due to a number of factors.
Most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted every aspect of our personal and professional lives, ultimately changing our overall outlook. It is estimated that by 2033 we will have a shortage of 140,000 physicians. In the next 5 years we will be short 3 million low-wage essential workers. As healthcare providers there is a seemingly endless demand for our services, and an increasingly limited supply. This conundrum leads to feelings of being unable to meet the constant demands of our profession. The stakes are high. Our ‘bottom line’ is our patients’ health and wellbeing, not dollars and cents. Yet, we often miscalculate the importance of our own health and well-being. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy stated “The nation’s health depends on the well-being of our health workforce. Confronting the long-standing drivers of burnout among our health workers must be a top national priority.” Is combatting your own burn out on the top of your ‘to-do’ list?
Many of us feel burnt out, but how many of us are making it a priority to get ourselves ‘un-burnt’? The first step is understanding what aspects of your day-to-day and overall career make you feel burnt out. Dermatology NPs and PAs often work in fast-paced, high-volume practices where there is significant pressure to increase productivity, reduce wait times and be involved in helping to educate/train the next generation of dermatology advanced practice providers. Many of us find our clinic time jam packed with seeing patients, charting, following up biopsy results, answering patient messages, and coordinating with other disciplines. Easy accessibility to our EHR from home finds many of us logged on during “pajama time.” Pajama time is becoming a well-known term amongst EHR consultants to signify time providers spend charting after normal business hours. In addition to charting after hours, many of us find ourselves using the evenings/nights/weekends to prepare presentations or educational initiatives while trying to spend time with our family and loved ones. Juggling these responsibilities absolutely contributes to feelings of being stressed, overwhelmed, and inadequate. However, making time to unplug, exercise, laugh and communicate are some of the ways in which I have attempted to combat burnout. There is no-one-size-fits all prescription for tackling burnout, but these are some of the ways that have helped me get ‘unburnt,’ or at least a little less crispy.
Unplug: If you don’t sign out your inbox during vacations--I highly recommend doing so! But not just on vacations, make time every week to unplug from everything. Just one hour weekly away from the constant bombardment of work-related emails, messages, or texts can make a big difference. There will always be things to do, but not all of them need to be done by end of day. Set strict rules on when you are willing to respond to after-hour’s work-related texts/e-mails. Use this unplug time to listen to music, meditate, or snuggle with a pet.
Exercise: Anytime, anywhere, for however long you can! Gone are the days that I can wake up at 5am to work out, but I have made it a priority to adjust my schedule to one that works for me. Sometimes it’s a yoga class on a fitness app that I do in my living room, other days I take the steps up to my office, and other times I make time for a super motivating group fitness class. No matter what it is, I always feel better having done it. I find it gives me a fresher, more positive outlook on the day. Getting kids ready for school, gathering lunch boxes, and/or playing taxi for after-school extracurriculars can keep us scrambling all day long. In these situations, try taking 10 minutes at work to stretch, walk outside, or do air squats in your office. It will get the blood flowing and get you out of that mid-day slump.
Laughter: It may sound menial and cliché, but laughter really does help. It can be easy to fall into the grump slump of burying your head into your work every day. Laughter with coworkers, patients, friends, and family helps to add positivity to your day. You can even laugh with yourself! Pop your earbuds in and listen to your favorite podcast that makes you laugh. Listen on your way to/from work or while charting in your office to get in your daily dose of giggles.
Communicate: Communicate when you are struggling. Let your boss know if you’re having a hard time keeping up with productivity demands. Providing them with insight into your concerns can help inform change for you and maybe even your coworkers. At home, communicate with your partner about how you are feeling and allow them to help where they can. Finally, communicate to a professional--a therapist, life coach, or whatever you want to call it. As healthcare providers, our work often bleeds into our life. Since we plan on being in our profession for the long haul, it is important to identify methods to create healthy boundaries and habits. Allow a professional to help you create and sharpen tools of resiliency that can benefit you for a lifetime.
If you are like me, you probably read this article and feel a tinge of guilt for doing something solely for yourself. Hopefully you can now take away a few tips to identify and combat burnout and recognize the importance of making your well-being a priority!
Citations:
US Department of Health and Human Services: New Surgeon General Advisory Sounds Alarm on Health Worker Burnout and Resignation | HHS.gov
Health Worker Burnout — Current Priorities of the U.S. Surgeon General (hhs.gov)
Veronica Richardson MSN,ANP-BC, DCNP is a medical dermatology nurse practitioner with a passion for clinical education in Philadelphia, PA. On the weekends you can find her and her husband snowboarding, paddle boarding, hiking and cooking in their mountain getaway in the Poconos with their dog, Georgia.