Burnout in the Healthcare Industry – Recognizing It and Responding to It

• April 7, 2022
• By Nina Weierman
• In Ohio CEUs News

Burnout in the Healthcare Industry – Recognizing It and Responding to It

Burnout: What Does It Look Like?

As soon as you wipe the sleep from your eyes on Monday morning, you feel it – the awful dread of the day ahead of you. Ugh.

You can barely find the energy to go through the motions of brushing your teeth and getting dressed.  Sipping on some coffee for motivation, you peek inside your work email, and there is already something that needs your immediate attention waiting in your inbox. When you do finally make it to your desk, you struggle to focus, and every co-worker seems to work your nerves more than anything else.

Does this sound familiar? You may very well be experiencing burnout.

You are most certainly not alone in this feeling. American culture has become obsessed with the hustle.  Your “drive” and level of busyness has become a measure of status. In a recent paper in the journal of Consumer Research Silvia Bellezza, a professor of marketing at Columbia Business School, Georgetown’s Neeru Paharia and Harvard’s Anat Keinan, wrote about the distinction of an unusual status symbol: seeming busy. They assert that this status is “driven by the perceptions that a busy person possesses desired human capital characteristics (competence, ambition) and is scarce and in demand on the job market.”  Basically, our need to tell people how busy we are—in person or on social media—comes from the desire to show how needed we are and, therefore, how important we are.

When the most successful people are those thought to be working constantly, doing a million things, and always connected to their work, it’s nearly impossible not to feel we need to do the same in order to compete.  But at what cost? A recent Deloitte study showed that millennials are the most burned-out generation, with 84% saying they have experienced burnout at their current job vs. 77% of all professionals—and that doesn’t even take into consideration the additional stressors that the Covid-19 Pandemic have brought on workers.

Effects of the Pandemic – Talking About Burnout in the Healthcare Industry

According to a January 2022 article on Burnout and Stress in the American Psychological Association’s Monitor, author Ashley Abramson notes that “Some occupations are more vulnerable than others to the effects of burnout.”  Burnout and stress are at all-time highs across professions, and among already strained health care workers, the Covid-19 pandemic has made burnout exponentially worse. Societal pressures to be always busy and constantly working were certainly prevalent before the Covid-19 pandemic; and for those working on the front lines in nursing homes and healthcare facilities, the additional strain that came with the pandemic made things worse—and that’s putting it lightly.

According to a recent survey by Mental Health America, 76% of healthcare workers feel burnt out, while 52% have dealt with compassion fatigue resulting from stress from someone else’s pain. Many nursing home RNs, LPNs, and CNAs have been stressed to the limit and have become overwhelmed by the grief of losing residents. A study published in the January 2022 issue of The Journal of Post-Acute and Long-Term Care “found that 16.6% of (nursing home) managers reported working overtime and approximately half reported moderate to high levels of emotional exhaustion and cynicism.”

Limited resources, longer shifts, disruptions to sleep and to work-life balance, and occupational hazards associated with exposure to COVID-19 have contributed to physical and mental fatigue, stress and anxiety, and of course burnout.

An NPR article published in February of 2022 notes that “the (nursing home) industry is suffering through a historic staffing shortage, further exacerbated by omicron. Workers have quit in record numbers since the pandemic started. And during the worst of omicron many frontline staff had to stay home because of breakthrough infections.”  It has been brutal, and it may be difficult for the industry to recover.

Where Do We go From Here?

Once you have recognized you are burned out, you have already taken a step in the right direction. Talk it out with a friend, or brainstorm on your own to try to figure out what needs to change.  Here are three ideas of things to try if you are feeling the effects of burnout:

• Disconnect

In a world of constant connectedness, it can be difficult to completely stop thinking about and doing work even after you may have left your physical office.  Do you find yourself stressing about work when you should be relaxing or enjoying your day off?  Consider turning off work email notifications or taking some time to list the things you will do tomorrow and remind yourself that you have done all you can do for today.

• Do Nothing

Practice just doing nothing.  It sounds silly, but with the importance our society puts on busyness these days, doing nothing can be almost difficult or uncomfortable.  Give yourself some dedicated quiet time where you can pause completely.

• Practice Self-Care

Consider trying a relaxing activity like yoga, meditation, or even something art-related like painting. Look for activities that promote mindfulness.  Physical activity reduces stress and takes your mind off of work. Anything that helps you clear your mind and regroup would be beneficial to try when you are dealing with being burned out.

How Can Healthcare Leaders Help Their Teams with Burnout?

Unchecked burnout can potentially harm your health, leading to things like type 2 diabetes or even heart disease. It’s important that employees and employers alike look at ways to combat burnout. Here are also a few ways employers can address burnout and fatigue in the workplace and try to protect their most precious asset—their people:

• Supervisor Behaviors

Mayo Clinic Proceedings published a study of over 40k healthcare employees in April of 2020. They found that when an employee’s immediate supervisor was a stronger leader, there was a decrease in the odds of that employee having burnout.  In other words, supervisor behaviors matter when it comes to burnout. Employers can help by ensuring departmental leaders have all the tools and training that they need to live up to their potential as supervisors.

• Discussing It

Sometimes when going through something difficult, sharing your personal experience with someone who has “been there” and understands can really help.  Just to get the weight off your chest by talking it out can really relieve some of the stress. Employers can help by having a safe space where employees can gather and talk—that could be a physical room or in an online platform like Slack.

• Recognition

Everyone wants to feel that what they are doing is important and appreciated.  Take recognition one step further and offer incentives that matter to your team.  Solicit feedback from your crew on what types of incentives they would appreciate. Try to think outside of the box and offer different and unique rewards.

• Mental Health Resources

Take a look at current programs or, if there isn’t one in place, propose a plan to develop an Employee Assistance Program or (EAP).  Train managers to recognize the signs of emotional distress in employees and use communication to reduce stigma and increase access to mental health resources.

• Life Outside of Work

Leaders can look for ways to support employees with their life outside of work.  Many employees balance work, family, another job, school, or all of the above. While other responsibilities should never interfere with what they are paid to do, leaders being mindful of the load that someone has to carry and showing consideration can help reduce feelings of weariness for that employee. Leaders should encourage work/life balance by setting a good example and making it a priority for their team.

Nina Weierman is a 20-year veteran of the hospitality industry, freelance writer and mother. She also writes about running, parenting and travel. Read the other blogs she has written for Ohio CEUs here.