Guest Post by Barbara Caspers, MS, RN, PHN
A Call to Action for Leaders
Burnout: The Parallel Pandemic.
As a nurse executive and health care leader, I have experienced the devastating emotional, physical and behavioral impact of burnout. I am not alone. Burnout among physicians, residents, nurses, and staff has long been a major concern. The COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated the problem as healthcare professionals continue to put their lives on the line to meet patient and family needs amid an increasingly complex and challenging environment.
Physician burnout is so pervasive, in fact, that researchers deemed it a public health crisis. If not acknowledged and addressed, burnout can lead to suicidal ideation, increased risks to patients, malpractice claims, absenteeism and turnover, as well as billions of dollars in losses to each year. In essence, burnout is a “parallel” pandemic.
Normal is No More. Now What?
The trifecta of: 1) the pandemic, 2) on-going civil unrest, and 3) accelerated change shows there is no returning to “normal.” It also clarifies an urgent call to action for healthcare leaders—one I am passionate about. For as the C-Suite takes on the challenge of transforming a stressed-out and maxed- out healthcare system, a compelling business case exists to deploy a workforce solution to address the burnout and wellbeing crisis facing today’s healthcare workforce.
The Call To Action:
Healthcare leaders must invest in optimizing employee wellbeing and performance with the same attention and rigor they invested in improving healthcare business processes over the past 10 years.
THP: Meaurable Wellbeing & Performance.
The Happiness Practice™ (THP) brings a much needed solution. THP is delivered virtually, supports 38 languages, and can be offered as a one-to-one, self-paced, or group experience. THP is the only wellbeing solution that measures impact and outcomes at the individual and organizational level, while delivering the data and ROI healthcare leaders need to confidently invest in employee wellbeing. THP can be offered for CEUs and is proven effective for all job classes.
It’s Time to Invest in People.
No matter how significant our clinical, technological, and business breakthroughs, healthcare realizes its mission, vision and values through one key ingredient: people. When leaders support and promote workforce wellbeing, everyone benefits— including patients, families, and colleagues. THP provides the C-Suite with a solution to build the culture of wellbeing necessary to truly differentiate in today’s value-based healthcare landscape.
Remember, healthcare’s identity is rooted in the patients and families it serves and anchored its people—physicians, nurses, technicians, EMTs, and more—who minister to the needs of patients and families. The pandemic further reminds us of the importance and courage of these healthcare heroes, and our ethical imperative as healthcare leaders to proactively support them in mitigating burnout and cultivating wellbeing amid today’s unprecedented circumstances. THP can help.
What is the Next Step?
I invite you to take the 100% confidential and free Happiness & Burnout Assessment at: experiencehappiness.biz
To learn more about THP, please contact me:
Barbara Caspers, MS, RN, PHN
Strategic Advisor, The Happiness Practice (THP)
e: [email protected] c: 612.817.7458