Burnout. It’s an all-too-familiar term for those in healthcare and other service fields. Often the onus is on the burned-out person to recognize and mitigate their burnout and activities such as yoga and deep breathing are offered as quick fixes. For our March #JHMChat, we turned to Dr. Rachel Thienprayoon’s article, “Beyond Burnout: Collective suffering and organizational compassion.” Dr. Thienprayoon, served as our guest expert as we discussed how hospitalists deal with burnout as we reflect on the last three years of COVID-19, accelerated staffing shortages, and our own experiences moving through burnout.
Our first question asked participants, “In a world where many clinicians are feeling burned out, what helps you see your value?” There was an overwhelming response to the grounding nature of providing patient care and spending time with patients and families.
Connecting with patients. Helping them navigate the medical system when I can. #JHMChat
— Joel M. Topf, MD FACP (@kidney_boy) March 21, 2023
A1: The patient often helps me see! When you have been able to help a patient, their gratitude reminds me of why I do what I do.
— Andrea Lauffer, M.D., FAAP (@AndreaLaufferMD) March 21, 2023
A1. It may be cliché, but I see my value in the time I spend with patients and families. I find bedside care incredibly fulfilling. I ?? getting to hear stories (and jokes) from the kiddos & families I care for. #JHMchat
— Anika Kumar, MD (she/her) (@freckledpedidoc) March 21, 2023
Many commented on how connecting with learners and their colleagues, and contributing to change in the system helped them see their value. Dr. Thienprayoon pointed out that seeing how we have influenced change – whether it is growth in our learners, a successful quality improvement initiative, or a new patient care policy – gives us agency, which helps clinicians feel valued.
A1. Definitely community – both with peers and supporting mentees. Watching others soar and live into their joy fuels mine ?? #JHMChat
— Rachel Peterson (@MPAcadHosp) March 21, 2023
A1:
? Building community
?? Making connections
?? Pushing change forward
Those are my burnout anti-dotes #JHMChat
— Jessie Allan, MD (@JessieAllanMD) March 21, 2023
Clearly, our participants feel valued when supporting others, whether that be patients, learners, or colleagues. Many also commented that small acts of gratitude – a simple “thank you” from a patient or note of appreciation from a learner or colleague goes a long way in feeling valued.
After learning what makes our participants feel valued and what they have agency over, we turned toward more systemic influences on burnout, asking, “What would organizational compassion look like for you?”
Dr. Mahoney gave us insight into the culture that helps to create organizational compassion – interprofessional team members working together to ease each other’s struggles.
A2 #JHMChat: “When any of us is struggling, all of us are struggling”
— Robert J. Mahoney, MD (@mahoneyr) March 21, 2023
Others focused on ensuring the necessary supports and resources are in place to ensure hospitalists can be authentic, and have dignity and integrity in their work. We need to know we can take great care of our patients and have respect as humans with lives outside of medicine.
A2: organizational compassion means maintaining the perspective of the frontline when thinking about change or removing resources. Understanding the work is so important. #JHMChat
— Michelle Brooks, MD (@michellebr00ks) March 21, 2023
A2: When organizations truly listen and act on the needs of their people. Help people be the best they can through compassionate policies: Childcare, parental leave, pay equity, etc. #JHMChat
— Jorge Ganem, MD (@jfganem) March 21, 2023
An understanding that, even though we did amazing things during & around COVID, does not mean that we can keep grinding. We are so complex, needing grace, kindness, patience, compassion. We are not cogs. And we can live into greatness when treated with dignity #JHMChat
— Rachel Peterson (@MPAcadHosp) March 21, 2023
As the chat continued, we learned that our participants have wonderful colleagues who recognize when they are not themselves and speak up. Sharing experiences, even saying out loud how hard our job is, makes people feel less alone and more valued. We discussed the importance of giving ourselves the grace we often give others, and remembering that we are often our harshest critics.
Building on what we learned about feeling valued and what organizational compassion looks like, we asked participants to share how their identities outside of medicine enhance their identity as a clinician. The response was incredibly insightful and uplifting, ranging from burnout prevention and stress relief, to providing a source of connection to our patients. These connections help break down barriers, even in difficult conversations.
A4. One of my favorite parts of practicing medicine is using who I am outside of work (father, husband, cyclist) to connect with patients. My favorite thing is figuring out how we can connect on some level. This bring me joy. #JHMChat
— Charlie M. Wray, DO, MS (@WrayCharles) March 21, 2023
A4. I am an immigrant, where I came from serving others is huge. I learned to set boundaries here, but I feel like this part of me helps tolerate my difficult patients better. #JHMChat
— Maha (@Arhait) March 21, 2023
Burnout is complex, and there are so many factors that contribute. Feeling valued through connections, having a meaningful role in growth and change, receiving small acts of gratitude, feeling supported as whole individuals, and using our identities outside of medicine to enhance our relationships in medicine help to mitigate burnout. Organizations can also demonstrate compassion by including frontline stakeholders in decisions around change and showing awareness of the work these stakeholders perform.
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