Healthcare workers are the heroes of our health system, but burnout is taking a toll. It impacts everyone – staff, patients, and the whole system itself. The good news? Burnout isn’t inevitable. By implementing proactive measures, healthcare facilities can create a more supportive environment that prioritizes the well-being of their staff.
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How Can You Combat Burnout?
There are a lot of creative and effective ways to combat burnout in healthcare. Here are a few ways healthcare facilities are helping nurses feel less burned out:
Foster a Supportive Work Environment
Early Identification of Issues – Open communication between staff and leadership is essential in alleviating burnout for healthcare workers. When employees feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and opinions, leadership can identify issues, and address them quickly. Open communication fosters trust between leadership and staff. Employees feel safe when they raise concerns or offer suggestions.
Better Problem Solving – When your facility practices open communication, your ability to problem-solve increases. Leadership can work with staff to find solutions to workload issues, improve, workflows, and create a more supportive work environment. Healthcare leaders have very stressful, and busy jobs. Keeping a pulse on every aspect of their facilities is close to impossible. But, the staff should have a good understanding of what is happening day-to-day.
Transparency and Reduced Uncertainty – When leadership openly communicates organizational goals, challenges, and changes, they create a sense of transparency. This helps reduce any anxiety workers may have about the future of their facility.
Recognization – Open communication isn’t just about communicating problems, oftentimes it is more helpful to point out the things that are being done well, or above and beyond what is expected. When employees feel appreciated for their contributions, they get a boost in morale and relieve some of the symptoms related to burnout.
Encouraging teamwork and collaboration
Encouraging teamwork and collaboration can be a powerful weapon against burnout. Here are some ways it helps.
Shared Workload and Responsibility – When employees work as a team the workload is distributed evenly. This can reduce the feeling of being overwhelmed, or stressed, a major contributor to burnout.
Increased Efficiency and Problem-Solving – When your team works together to leverage strength and expertise, you’ll notice better problem-solving, better decision-making, and a more efficient work environment. When employees are encouraged to leverage their strengths as a team, their workload is once again reduced and therefore helps alleviate burnout.
Implementing flexible work arrangements
Flexibility offers several benefits that can help healthcare organizations combat employee burnout among their staff.
Improved work-life balance – One of the biggest contenders of burnout is the inability to manage your personal and professional life. Flexible work arrangements like compressed work schedules, or flex-time allow staff to take control of their lives. This helps them better manage childcare, family needs, appointments, and other personal commitments. This leads employees to feel like they have the time to get everything done in one day.
Accommodating Diverse Needs – Some healthcare facilities take a one-size-fits-all approach forgetting that everyone is different, and dealing with their own lives outside of work. Flexible work arrangements help combat burnout by allowing employees to schedule work around their schedules. Studies suggest that staff who benefit from flexible work arrangements often experience increased productivity and morale.
Addressing Workload Issues
Setting Realistic Expectations – Setting clear and realistic expectations regarding workload can help manage stress and prevent burnout. Facilities should avoid overloading staff and ensure they have the resources and support needed to complete their tasks effectively.
Staffing Based on Patient Needs – Facilities should strive to maintain appropriate staffing levels based on patient acuity and caseload. Understaffing creates a significant burden on existing staff, leading to burnout. Data analysis and workload assessment tools can help determine optimal staffing levels for different situations.
Flexible Staffing Options – Facilities can explore options like per diem (PRN) nurses or temporary staffing agencies to address unexpected call-offs, staff shortages, or high-demand periods. This helps distribute the workload more evenly and prevents existing staff from becoming overburdened.
How PRN Agencies Can Help
Per Diem (PRN) staffing agencies are a valuable tool for facilities. They help healthcare facilities address high workload issues and ultimately combat burnout among healthcare workers. Here are some ways healthcare facilities use PRN agencies.
Filling Staffing Gaps and Unexpected Call-Offs – PRN agencies provide a pool of qualified healthcare professionals to fill in for unexpected absences, vacations, or sudden spikes in patient volume. This prevents existing staff from having to shoulder the extra burden and helps maintain consistent staffing levels.
Specialized Skills and Experience – PRN agencies often have a network of nurses with diverse skill sets and experience. Facilities can leverage this to address specific needs, like bringing in critical care nurses during high-demand periods or infection control specialists for outbreak management. This targeted support alleviates pressure on permanent staff who aren’t as experienced in these areas.
Flexibility for Both Facilities and Staff – PRN arrangements offer flexibility for both healthcare facilities and nurses. Facilities can adjust staffing levels based on real-time needs, while PRN nurses have control over their work schedules and can pick up shifts that fit their preferences. This flexibility helps address fluctuating workloads and allows staff to maintain a better work-life balance.
See also: 5 Ways PRN Staff Brings Flexibility and Success to Your Workforce
No matter which strategy your facility decides to implement, our industry must start to take nurses seriously when they tell us they are burned out. Combating burnout by fostering open communication, teamwork, and setting realistic expectations in workload can significantly reduce burnout amongst healthcare workers. Partnering with a per diem staffing agency can further alleviate the pressure nurses feel, and create a more positive work environment.
