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Post by katevaughn on Jan 31, 2019 20:49:31 GMT -5
This month’s journal club is presented by Beth Medina. She chose an excellent article that will engage discussion. Professional burnout is something that affects many anesthesia providers. This article delves into one institution that studied ways to help combat burnout with the identification of two large contributors to workplace happiness: schedule flexibility and the choice of where you want to specialize. A very interesting read, enjoy! Here is a link to the article. The questions to encompass within your response: 1.) How can we encourage our leaders in the department to be more aware of this condition and to take steps to at least lessen this condition among the anesthesia personnel? 2) How can the personnel be proactive so that he or she does not fall into this condition?
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Post by Jessica Switzman on Feb 1, 2019 9:29:01 GMT -5
I think the leaders of our department are aware of this condition and are trying to make changes; ie. wellness committee, yoga, gratitude days.
Personnel need to be proactive and take care of themselves by eating right, getting enough sleep, doing deep breathing and or simple stretches to activate parasympathetic nervous system. All these build resilience which can help to combat stress. We as health care professionals are often great with advice but don't do what we tell patients to do and often neglect ourselves. We are in a stressful profession with a nation wide shortage of Anesthesia Personnel and an aging population; the job is going to get easier. BUT how we care for ourselves and each other can help us prevent burnout. Thank you for a interesting and pertinent article.
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Post by Marley Ferraro on Feb 1, 2019 12:54:45 GMT -5
1. As the article mentioned, allowing staff to choose the areas they work in and work flexible schedules can help to lessen the problem of burnout. I think the leaders here are aware of that and accommodate the CRNAs.
2. Personnel can take an active role in their own health by exercising and eating healthy as well as being aware of the risks of burnout when they work a lot of overtime or long shifts.
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Post by Jackie Howell on Feb 4, 2019 9:10:40 GMT -5
I think our hospital administration is aware of burnout among the anesthesia staff and try to implement meaningful changes. Our biggest obstruction to providing the best work/life balance for our department staff is our ongoing staffing issue (MDs and CRNAs). Providers feel responsible for working OT to meet the demands of our busy OR schedule and that can compound on already existing burnout. I think as a group we've become used to providing care to others without prioritizing the needs of ourself. Adequate staffing allows for anesthesia staff to take the time from clinical work to schedule doctors appointments, go to educational conferences, and take [personal vacations which are all equally important for our holistic health. This was a really great article! Thank you for sharing.
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Post by Jocelyn Datud on Feb 4, 2019 9:42:10 GMT -5
Since I started working at Bayview, several surveys and discussion about burnout have been given. Having a good work-life balance and being known that you are being appreciated by the group are some of the factors that I believe contributes to burnout. Hence, a simple gesture of letting the staff know that they are valued, and being able to accommodate schedule requests can go a long way. I totally agree with the article that if the staff experiences less burnout/ frustration, they are more eager to give better service and participate well in meeting the group's goal.
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Post by kels on Feb 4, 2019 11:30:17 GMT -5
I do think that our leaders are aware of burnout but there is always room for improving the work life of the CRNA and fellow colleagues I agree that being proactive plays an important role in preventing burnout. As others have said, eating well and exercising and getting the right amount of sleep helps to prevent burnout. Sometimes we can only do so much on the days we actually work to prevent burnout but living a well rounded life outside of work is priceless.
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Post by jkim54 on Feb 6, 2019 16:53:18 GMT -5
Our leaders should be reminded from time to time that burnout can be common and an ongoing problem in the workplace. Communicating with them on ways to address burnout is also important, such as addressing staffing issues, more flexibility to our schedules, and simply making the staff feel like their concerns are heard and cared for.
This article is a good reminder of the warning signs of burnout: decreased work effort, low physical and emotional energy, cynicism. It is important to be aware of these symptoms and be proactive to take care of ourselves better. We should be encouraged to develop our lives more outside of work, take a vacation, speak up if our workload is just too much. Happy CRNAs = happy patients:)
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Post by Moishe Mayer on Feb 6, 2019 19:15:03 GMT -5
Burnout is multifactorial, and like anything, the easily modifiable factors should be addressed first. Ridding the workplace environment from unnecessary stresses is the first step. It is imperative that each practitioner feels respected and is encouraged to function to the full scope of their practice. External peer respect will allow one's self-respect to remain strong, and even give it a boost.
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nanci
Junior Member
Posts: 57
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Post by nanci on Feb 8, 2019 13:12:11 GMT -5
1) Leadership has the power to create change, some changes are easier than others. As leaders, leadership training should include recognizing that burnout is a systemic problem and promote a culture at the workplace that quickly fixes and even prevents employee burnout. Transparency that this training is happening would help employees know that there is open communication available about discussion of stressors at the workplace. At the least maybe open the possibility to having discussions about it. Look at our profession and where we work- the current culture glorifies hard work (and staff tend to make that work harder than it needs to be to rise to the expectations that are set, expecting too much of themselves), highest quality output and results, no room for error, high stress work in a high stress environment, you can call out if sick but implied that we have too many call outs and not enough staffing but if sick please stay home (mixed messages).......a lot of stress. Stress leads to burnout. Employers/ leadership knows that to give our best performance at work there needs to be a reduction in stress levels. Agree with what others have stated that leadership is well aware of high risk for employee burnout- they have yoga (at times when administrative staff and few others can attend), even an AP Advisory Council [difficult to attend functions as during our extended work hours (meaning not 9a-5p)] functions. There does not seem to be a specific burnout prevention program in place for us. New policies are in place (over the past few years) really holding attendance accountable and multiple SLACK messages to report when staff leave early to administration. Leaving early when sick or overly stressed can be viewed as punitive instead of working toward wellness in such scenarios and staff remain at work, come to work sick, etc... to not be dealt with in a perceived negative manner. Suggestions about wellness, providing dinner breaks, increasing the amounts of staff off on any one day, early out rotations are all good ideas but difficult to implement in our current staffing model. We are fortunate to have a structure conducive to letting our Leads hear our concerns about wellness issues and take it to their regular meetings for discussion with hopes of implementation of workable plans to assist in prevention of CRNA burnout. CRNA meetings might be able to implement as part of a regular agenda for meetings updates and open ideas about how to assist with burnout prevention as well. Just a matter of communicating it between administration and staff and making sure it's a safe topic to get honest suggestions, questions, and answers.
2) So easy to say self care, stop pushing yourself to your limits, or balancing out the effects of the stressors placed upon us. So much harder to be more self aware, recognize difficult situations in personal life that may bring more stress than anticipated, deal with illness of self or someone close to you, or other stressors that arise. The new midyear and yearly evaluations is a good start to having the discussion and having an outside look into if one is over stressed or on the verge of burnout as well. Maybe be more aware of signs of burnout is a good start (irritability, headaches, reduced energy or efficiency, lower motivation, fatigue, increased errors, etc...) and actually acknowledging it. I think we tell ourselves things to push through (people are depending on me, I am fine, This will pass, I'll take a vacation and then be fine...) without realizing a stressful current situation that may be damaging to their well being and thus not making necessary changes to help prevent burnout.
I know- too long- just went to a few meetings about this subject and that was actually healthy. Maybe wellness conferences should be allowed for part of our "Education"- just a thought. Something leadership can implement to assist in burnout prevention.
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Post by Marjorie Cesaire on Feb 12, 2019 11:41:09 GMT -5
I think the first approach is education. Providers need to be aware that burn out is a problem and could happen to anyone, the signs and symptoms and then the potential complications. Then they could self reflect and identify issues when they arise. Chronic fatigue and job dissatisfaction are probably the most common challenges and these are symptoms that can be easily identified by a management or administration that is actively engaged in their workforce. The communication between staff is also vital in allowing for sympathy, compassion and intervention. I do think that being able to understand how this affects colleagues encourages an environment that is not only focused on the bottom line or case turnovers, etc. But rather how the staff are responding. If there are levels of tension that run high in rooms with certain Providers or multiple complaints about people who do not have a positive work attitude then it should be talked about and investigated. It's a challenge for everyone and not just the Provider. However, I go to my point of administration and management being aware of the talk and culture of the staff and communicating regularly and effectively in order to identify any people with concerns or challenges. I think SLACK has been helpful in allowing a forum for discussion and the monthly meetings. However, active presence and engagement of the administrators in day to day work is also powerful and necessary. The way in which we as staff can be proactive is by creating forums not just to discuss but also to resolve the issues. Whether it's organizing sunshine clubs to collect for various life events, creating rotating lunches or snack treats on difficult or heavy schedule days. This at the very least allows people to know that they are noticed and their hard work is noticed. They see a reward and an intervention that alleviates stress and pressure. Having dessert Fridays or Pizza Mondays are morale boosters but more importantly it provides something that staff could use and appreciate during a busy work week or day. Thanks, marjorie
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Post by Jessica Hadley on Feb 12, 2019 15:40:02 GMT -5
1. I think as the article stated that allowing staff to have flexibility in their scheduling is an important way to reduce burnout. When staff feel they have some control over their schedule and are able to have a good work-life balance this increases satisfaction and decreases burn out. Adequate staffing is another factor that can help reduce burn out by guaranteeing staff get breaks and timely relief. I think it is also important for leadership to be available to listen and respond to staff concerns. Planned wellness activities would be another way to help boost moral, however these activities need to be accessible to staff.
2. Ways we as providers can reduce burnout are engaging in self care activities such as healthy eating, exercise, and adequate sleep. Also making sure we aren't taking on more overtime etc. than is good for us. Finally, as providers we need to be able to recognize when we are headed towards burn out and be willing to take the appropriate steps to prevent it.
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Post by Sarah Rollison on Feb 13, 2019 14:54:09 GMT -5
1.) I agree with what many others on here have said - that the first step is to educate. Not only should we ensure that our leaders are educated and aware of the problem, but that everyone within our department is aware. We work frequent, long hours and many days are physically, emotionally, and mentally straining. It is important that be aware of what burnout looks like so that we can keep ourselves healthy and avoid further burnout. I think our leaders are fully aware of the risks and frequency of burnout, and as others have stated, they have implemented various tactics to help us mitigate stress. I think that one of the most important factors is the presence of our CRNA-MD liaison. This became especially apparent to me during our recent meeting where we discussed the feelings of safety in the workplace and subsequent issues between CRNA-doctor relationships. Although our job is stressful, sometimes poor relationships can make it even more stressful and I think having someone who is willing to communicate and collaborate between both sides is a great step.
2) Again, the main step is to be self aware and proactive for yourself. Stress-relieving tactics have become a huge part of my life since anesthesia school (I'm sure all can relate!) and I still incorporate them daily. However in order to solve issues within the workplace, a great starting point is to talk about it. I agree with many others on here - I think our threads to discuss certain issues at work are a great idea and starting place, as this can help the right people become aware of issues that need to be addressed. I hope that in the future we can have more opportunities to talk freely about stressful situations & relationships, and come to conclusions that benefit the team.
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Post by Chris Velarde on Feb 14, 2019 14:20:59 GMT -5
I think the Administration is aware of potential burnout of their workers. Unfortunately short staffing can potentially create more working hours for individuals, less family time, less leisure time to relax and do whatever makes you happy. There are several Hopkins programs that are available to us if we feel the need to vent RISE (Resistance in Stressfull Events) and FASAP (Faculty and Staff Assistance Program. People may not be aware of these programs-they are available to us whenever we may need their services.
2, We as providers must take care of ourselves so we can stay physically healthy and mentally healthy to take care of others. We must take cues from our family members who see us stressed/irritable. Taking a few minutes a day for yourself is important. Proper eating and exercising always helps in maintaining your health.
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Post by Katya on Feb 15, 2019 14:35:22 GMT -5
I think our administration is aware of possible burn out of stuff. That is why we have all mentioned above programs. Is it enough? possible, if people know about those programs and use them. We need to share more information between our staff. I did not know about RISE and FASAP for example. The providers should take care of themselves for sure, eating well, walking, be more active, and do what makes us happy. For example, I love to travel and always looking up for next travel ideas. If you sick, take care of yourself and keep others out of your sickness.
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Post by Lu Lin CRNA on Feb 22, 2019 8:08:15 GMT -5
1. I think the leader of department are aware of the situation.
2. As this profession, we should aware of our stress and take care of ourselves. Try not to work too much over time, take time off enjoy family time and vacation will be a good idea to help lower the stress level. Peer support is also very important too.
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