Burnout in Healthcare

Healthcare burnout is a pervasive issue affecting many professionals in the field. As a healthcare worker, you’re likely familiar with the relentless demands, long hours, and emotional toll that come with the job. This post aims to help you recognize the signs of burnout, understand its impact, and provide actionable tips to combat it. Remember, taking care of your mental health is crucial, not just for your well-being but also for providing the best care to your patients.

What is Healthcare Burnout?

Burnout is a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion caused by prolonged stress. In the healthcare industry, burnout can manifest as:

• Emotional Exhaustion: Feeling drained and overwhelmed by your work responsibilities.
• Loss of Empathy: Developinga cynical attitude towards patients and colleagues. Caring for patients becomes increasingly difficult when burnout leaves you feeling emotionally detached and indifferent to their well-being. I’ve had several friends in nursing very bluntly tell me that loss of empathy towards their patients is what drove them to find another job.
• Reduced Personal Accomplishment: Feeling ineffective and unaccomplished in your work.

How Burnout Feels

Burnout can make you feel trapped in an endless cycle of fatigue and frustration. You might experience:

• Chronic Fatigue: A persistent feeling of tiredness that doesn’t go away with rest. Have you ever wanted to go bed after workand stay there for 3 days? Yeah, me too.
• Irritability, stress, and tension: hHard to sit still, relax, or you find yourself with reduced patience or tolerance. Maybe you “hold it together” at work, and then find you are snapping at loved ones.
• Low Mood, Sadness, or Mood Swings: Feelings of helplessness, failure or self-doubt. Loss of motivation, procrastination or reduced performance in everyday tasks. Using substances to cope. For some, feeling detached or alone in the world.
• Decreased Job Satisfaction: Losing the passion and enthusiasm you once had for your work. This is often tied to the loss of empathy. Taking care of our patients gives our jobs meaning, and without that empathy, your satisfaction with your job plummets.
• Physical Symptoms: Headaches, gastrointestinal issues, back and musculoskeletal pain, frequent illness due to a weakened immune system, and other stress-related ailments.

What burnout may look like

• Changes in appetite or eating – you may be eating less, or more, or different foods than your usual. You may notice weight loss or gain.
• Changes in sleep – both quality and quantity. Often for those who are in bed longer, their sleep quality is not as good, further adding to how you feel in your place of burnout (all those things I just described above)
• Interactions with others: either less or more strained. You will likely see it first in your personal life, and then it may show up with coworkers, and worse yet your patients.

Recognizing Your Level of Burnout

The baffling part of this is that you don’t always recognize the symptoms in yourself! I remember spending all of my days off on the couch, barely able to function. I didn’t want to socialize, I didn’t want to do anything. I ate take out all weekend because I didn’t feel like cooking. Forget about exercise. I was also having heart palpitations, reflux, and so much trouble sleeping. I actually threw up before going to work more than once from stress. Looking back now, I can see it for what it was, but at the time, I just thought I worked hard all week and now I needed downtime.

It’s essential to assess your burnout levels regularly. Mindtools.com has an excellent self test to help you evaluate your level of burnout.

Tips to Combat Burnout

• Prioritize Self-Care:
  
  • Healthy Lifestyle: Ensure you get enough sleep, eat nutritious meals, and exercise regularly. I know this is hard. I still have mistakes that I almost made 20 years that can keep me awake (yes you read that right. Mistakes I didn’t make keep me awake.). And who wants to work out after a 12+ hour shift?
  • Relaxation: Practice mindfulness techniques, meditation, or yoga to help manage stress.
• Set Boundaries:

1. • Work-Life Balance: Establish clear boundaries between work and personal life. Learn to say no to additional responsibilities when necessary. You don’t have to say yes when management calls asking you to come in on your day off!
   • Time Management: Organize your tasks and prioritize what’s essential to reduce overwhelm.

• Seek Support:

1. • Professional Help: Don’t hesitate to seek counseling or therapy if you’re struggling with burnout. If you need a recommendation, I happen to know a great psychologist. My good friend Dr. Eva Serber, is a clinical psychologist, and she offers remote appointments. The nice part is that she is not affiliated with any hospitals, so if you want to see someone, but not have it recorded on your regular medical records, they won’t be.
   • Peer Support: Connect with colleagues who understand your experiences and can offer support and advice.

• Continuous Learning:

1. • Expand Your Knowledge: Engage in courses that can help you build resilience and improve your mental health. Coursera offers a free course, Mental Health and Resilience for Healthcare Workers, with an optional paid certificate if your facility requires proof that you took the course. It does not include any continuing education units. However, this course includes the science behind what is stress and burnout, and the techniques we can use to help combat it. I really liked it, because it includes the WHY. Too often management will announce something, like, “Dance party in the lobby!” I never understood the point of these. This course explains it! I also think I’m going to pull up the Laugh Yoga segment on a regular basis for my own stress relief (you’ve just got to try it). After taking this course, I’m now kind of sad that my management never tried to encourage us more to go to the dance parties, or try and provide coverage for us to get away.

• Take Breaks:

1. • Regular Breaks: Ensure you take regular breaks during your shifts to rest and recharge. Again, this can be hard to do. I’ve gone 12 hour shifts without using the bathroom. I’m not sure how my kidneys still function. Don’t follow my example.
   • Vacation Time: Use your vacation days to take extended breaks and disconnect from work completely. I know from experience that management likes to push back on this sometimes. Vacation time is part of your benefits package. You are entitled to use it!

Burnout is a serious issue that requires attention and action. By recognizing the signs and implementing these strategies, you can better manage stress and improve your overall well-being. Remember, taking care of yourself is not a luxury but a necessity. Stay proactive about your mental health, and don’t hesitate to seek help when needed.

In the long term, structural changes within healthcare institutions are necessary to prevent burnout. Implementing reasonable work hours, ensuring adequate staffing, and fostering a supportive work environment is needed to decrease burnout, increase job satisfaction, and decrease turnover. However, for many healthcare professionals, the impact of burnout may prompt a reevaluation of their career paths.

How I Hope to Help 

In this blog, my hope is to be able encourage and support those considering a transition out of direct patient care.

Your knowledge and experience has value! We are going explore various career opportunities for healthcare workers beyond patient care, providing insights into roles in healthcare administration, education, research, and technology, among others. We are also going to talk to people who have found rewarding roles outside of patient care. By leveraging the expertise and experience gained in patient care, healthcare professionals can find fulfilling, less stressful, and often better paying career paths that still contribute to the well-being of others. By prioritizing your mental health, you can continue to provide excellent care for your patients while maintaining your well-being.

For more information, please read this article from the US Surgeon General’s Office.