Practical steps to take that make a difference 

By Bentley Tate, MD, Clinician Wellness Advocate 

The past few years we have been inundated with the media and studies telling us that clinicians are burned out. So much so that the concept has almost become an afterthought, a given. It’s been easy to reason away the burnout due to the pandemic, to reimbursement issues, etc.  

We can’t afford to do that. 

Clinician burnout is a serious problem that is costing everyone – your clinicians and their families, your patients and their families, and your hospital or health system. The cost of turnover from burnout is high – but it may be only a small part of the price we are paying for clinician burnout.  The greater costs might well be the combination of decreased productivity (compared to “well” clinicians), increased malpractice suits, and often even delivery of lower-quality patient care.  

The case to prioritize clinician well-being is compelling. But where do we start? 

Become more aware 

The first part of prioritizing clinician well-being is to deepen our awareness of burnout’s complexities. Your awareness must go beyond burnout statistics flashed on a PowerPoint.  Next time you walk the halls of your hospital put faces to the stats.  Notice the surgeon in his early 60s who looks perpetually annoyed by his millennial counterparts and the late 30s emergency doc demoralized by 6-figure student loan debt and just being served a malpractice suit.  

Do we see the recent hire who finished residency eight months ago and is unwell? How about the second-year resident physician who regularly listens to podcasts on FIRE (Financial Independence – Retire Early). She isn’t yet out of training and is already looking for the finish line. 

Start noticing.  Start asking them, “what are the greatest stressors for you?”  

Find physician champions 

Don’t just look for burnout.  Look, and you will find, clinicians who exude wellbeing.  Keep an eye out for those who seem to have a passion for wellness. Clinicians need other clinicians – physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants. Social workers and counselors are great adjuncts and partners, but there’s no substitute for someone else who really gets it. 

My role as a doctor for my doctors has required as much heart knowledge as head knowledge. 

Seek out clinicians with heart knowledge. Those with a “calling within a calling” – a call to their colleagues within the wider calling to medicine.  Those are your well-being champions, most great influencers, ready to give dedicated time to clinician wellness and promote the many ideals you want in your clinicians.   

Give your influence and financial support  

Once you find your clinician champions – empower them. Give your influence and financial support for the proven ROI of clinician well-being.  

When people in my role get together at conferences, the recurrent question is, “How are you getting your CEO and CFO to care about clinician wellness?” The consensus is that it’s always an uphill struggle to get the attention of and, when needed, financial support of those in the C-suite. Those conference attendees do not want the C-suite to mentor clinicians or share wellbeing tactics.  They’re asking for the C-suite to lend their ear and their influence to wellness champions in their midst. 

So, be available. Set up clear channels for communication with your wellness champions.  Investing in your clinicians, your greatest resource, will not only help clinician satisfaction and quality care delivery, but also support the financial health of the hospital.  

Raise awareness in those around you 

Talk about clinician well-being in your meetings. Bring it up around the conference table. Ask your colleagues in other hospitals and health systems what they are doing. Show how much you value clinician well-being to others in administration. 

Additionally, look at any other partnerships your organization may have. Do your partners have clinician well-being as a priority? Are they going to work with you to reduce burnout and improve wellness? If not, consider finding partners who place the same value on well-being as you do. 

The future of your clinicians’ well-being depends on you 

Culture, leadership, and well-being start at the top. It starts in the C-suite, in administration, in the corner offices. The financial case for improving clinician well-being is strong. So strong that you could make the argument that you can’t afford to not do something about it. 

What if I met the well-being leaders of your health system six months from now and asked them, “How are you getting your CEO and CFO to care about clinician wellness?” My hope would be to hear you are more proactive than even they are!  “My CEO finds me and asks, what’s a great idea you have to improve clinician wellness that I can get behind?”   “My CFO tells me – if we can do something for our clinicians that makes financial sense I want to know about.” 

If that happens, here’s what gets better and better under your leadership – your clinicians, your patients, your nursing staff, and your bottom line.