By Craig Fowler, Senior Vice President Recruiting, Pinnacle Health Group
What can physicians learn from corporate America and NBA coach Phil Jackson so that they’re able to take the physician burnout problem into their own hands? Surprisingly, it may be some of the very same advice they prescribe to patients.
With physician burnout becoming an increasingly difficult struggle, collaboration between healthcare leaders and physicians may be the best route to finding solutions. For the type-A, overachievers who make up 99.99 percent of the physician world, now’s your time to speak up about what it’s going to take to reduce burnout and then treat yourself with the self-care you deserve and require.
Simple self-care leads to reduced levels of stress
Corporate America has long offered innovative perks to recruit and retain the best employees. The Huffington Post co-founder, Arianna Huffington, suffered such extreme exhaustion that it left her with a broken face – literally. Extremely overworked, she fainted. The experience led her to install sleep rooms for her employees in the corporate offices. Allowing employees much needed time to refresh has led to higher levels of productivity and lower levels of stress.
Google offers its employees some great perks, too. Free gourmet meals, massage rooms, nap pods, haircuts and onsite medical care are a few of the benefits employees enjoy. Also, new parents receive an especially creative perk that help them get more downtime. They’re given an allowance for takeout food, while they’re babies are newborns.
What are hospitals doing? Some provide access to health club facilities, better meals and concierge services, but as is always the case, there’s room for improvement. Taking a moment to share your ideas with leadership about what’s required to make balancing work and life easier is the first step towards change.
Phil Jackson, NBA basketball coach and mindfulness guru, incorporated meditation into his coaching. Did it improve the Bulls’ and the Lakers’ games? I think the world championship wins of both teams speak volumes.
Why did Jackson ask the Bulls’ and the Lakers’ players to incorporate mindfulness? Because he knew both teams needed extraordinary mental strength to help them cope and succeed under the competitiveness and public pressures of pro basketball. Studies have repeatedly proven that meditation benefits all of us by reducing stress and improving concentration.
You might need to take matters into your own hands if your hospital is still grappling to find solutions to reducing stress. If burnout is sneaking up on you, and you love the practice of medicine, then taking your own advice about self-care that you likely give to patients is smart living.
Is Locum Tenens right for you?
More physicians are opting to work under a Locum Tenens arrangement. It allows flexibility in both where and when you work, which could be especially valuable during the various seasons of life. It also provides a stopgap solution for permanent physicians who otherwise wouldn’t take time away as burnout prevention. We’ve even seen some doctors join the Locum Tenens ranks while pursuing other creative, career and family goals before returning to a full-time, permanent role. It’s a viable option, and a much needed one, in our healthcare system.
If Locum Tenens sounds like a good fit for you, visit phg.com to learn more.