Even though health care employee satisfaction is vital, most workers often brace themselves for long hours, challenging tasks, exposure to infectious diseases and potentially dangerous patients as part of their daily shifts. Given the high expectations placed on health care workers, it is not surprising that they frequently contend with burnout, fatigue, grief and extreme stress.
A CDC report, based on nationwide survey data from 2018 to 2022, reveals a significant rise in burnout among health workers, with nearly half reporting burnout in 2022 compared to under a third in 2018. The report also highlighted that health workers suffer from poorer mental health outcomes compared to employees in other industries.
What are the stressors driving this shift, and how can they be mitigated?
Stressors faced by health care professionals
Health care professionals face a number of stressors that many other professions might not have to contend with. These can include:
Work life bleeding into personal life
For a person with a desk job, it can be difficult to head home after the day ends to relax and not think about work. For someone with a high-stress job such as nursing, not thinking about work after a long shift is nearly impossible. You are spending a significant amount of time with patients who depend on you, and the job demands empathy and care.
It's only natural to continue to think about those patients when the workday ends, but it can become a problem when it begins to interfere with your personal life and is one of the leading causes of stress in health care workers. Rest and relaxation are imperative for you to be able to carry on with work the next day and maintain positive mental health, but those things can be disrupted when you are constantly thinking about work even as you are at dinner with friends, watching a movie or trying to get a full-night's sleep.
Unrealistic expectations of patients and managers
As humans, we tend to expect a quick fix for most of our problems, but when it comes to medical problems, the solutions are usually far more complex. This can be difficult to explain to patients who walk into your workplace expecting to walk out brand new. The same can be said for toxic managers who expect their staff to solve complex issues in a quick manner while keeping patients happy. Encountering problems that typically lack immediate solutions makes it infeasible to satisfy everyone. These problems can weigh heavily and contribute to negative mental health in health care workers.
Heavy workloads
Health care professionals frequently have to manage more patients than would be optimal due to a number of issues. These professionals may soon become overwhelmed trying to address the demands of every patient in this situation.
Staff shortages caused by situations such as global health crises create unrealistic expectations for health care professionals' abilities. These stressful events not only cause staff shortages, but equipment shortages as well, placing even more stress on these workers. It is expected of health care providers to give each patient individual attention and meticulous treatment, but when time and resources are scarce, this is not always feasible.
Inadequate preparation for the emotional side of the job
Unfortunately, no textbook can adequately prepare a person for the emotional toll that working in a health care setting can have. Loss of a patient, delivering bad news to a family, working under extremely stressful conditions – the list of difficult situations health care workers have to face on a daily basis is long. There is no set of instructions for how to deal with these situations because everyone handles these kinds of emotional stressors differently. Many health care workers feel unprepared for the intensity of these emotional situations and believe they did not receive enough guidance on how to effectively manage them.
Strategies for coping and resilience
When health professionals indicated they work in supportive environments, they reported less mental health difficulties, according to the CDC. When workers participate in decision-making, feel trusted by their managers and work under supervisors who support psychological well-being, stress reduction, harassment-free workplaces, productivity and ample time to finish tasks, they feel supported.
In addition to promoting supportive environments, health care workers can utilize the following techniques to protect their mental health:
- Discuss your thoughts and experiences with loved ones, close friends, co-workers and superiors
- Reach out to mental health professionals when overwhelmed or as a preventative measure
- Recognize symptoms of burnout – negative feelings such as apathy, irritability, exhaustion and disconnection from work and others
- Eat a healthy, balanced diet and get adequate rest
- Maintain a workout routine and utilize breathing techniques
- Avoid using caffeine, alcohol, tobacco or drugs as a coping mechanism
Providing support for the backbone of our health care system
The foundation of our health care system is made up of the medical professionals who work tirelessly every day to guarantee the health of their patients. The need for comprehensive support is highlighted by the rise in mental health problems and increased burnout these professionals continually face. It's critical to address stressors including heavy workloads, unreasonable expectations and work-life balance. Prioritizing the well-being of health care workers is a moral imperative and vital for a resilient health care system, ensuring high-quality patient care.
