Feeling overwhelmed with your workload as a healthcare professional?

The first step which is the most vital step in addressing the weight of one’s workload is to admit that it’s overwhelming. No positive change can occur until all stakeholders are open and transparent within that framework is the key to success. asking for help from colleagues or supervisors is often the hardest thing to do because you don’t want to come across as being weak or incompetent. Take that first step take the risk it will be worth it.

It is absolutely critical to do regular check-ins with yourself and seek support internally or externally when needed. Stress can impact not just your mental health but your physical health as well.

Recognizing when you need support is a sign of strength, not weakness. In healthcare, where the stakes are high, sharing the load with your team ensures patient care doesn’t suffer under the weight of one person’s burden. Reaching out fosters a culture of collaboration and continuous learning, where each person’s strengths are leveraged to benefit the whole team. Mentorship, too, is invaluable—not just for practical advice, but for understanding that you’re not alone in your challenges. Asking for help can strengthen your capacity to care, both for yourself and your patients.

If feeling overwhelmed, prioritize tasks, delegate when possible, and seek support from colleagues or supervisors. Take breaks, practice stress management techniques, and ensure you’re maintaining a healthy work-life balance to manage your workload effectively.

Me faz muito feliz em saber que posso contar com o apoio da minha equipe quando me sentir sobrecarregada. A grande magia e alívio é poder falar ou melhor desabafar, n?o dá pra ser forte em todo tempo. Se algo n?o está bem, pe?a ajuda sim, porque n?o? Além do profissional de excelência tem um ser humano incrível que tem os seus dias maus e está tudo bem!

Prioritising tasks is important but you should also be very clear and aligned with your seniors on the expectations on the tasks and not be afraid to push back when they are inappropriate. Involving both a direct supervisor and a skip level can help. Often there can be conflict between research and clinical tasks. If no help is forthcoming, clinical tasks always take precedence due to the greater proximity to patient outcomes.

Working in healthcare is profoundly demanding. The long hours and responsibilities create a complicated landscape requiring careful navigation. The most crucial aspect is organizing oneself and prioritizing responsibilities. Responding accurately to cases and properly handing them off is vital. Watchful time and focus management is needed to avoid burnout and ensure quality care. Key ideas: 1. Develop effective time management strategies, like task prioritization and minimizing distractions. 2. Implement self-care practices, such as taking breaks and maintaining work-life balance. 3. Foster a supportive work culture that encourages communication l. 4. Advocate for policies promoting reasonable workloads and adequate resources.

That’s a great approach! Prioritizing tasks is indeed essential, especially in environments where decisions can significantly impact patient outcomes. Utilizing tools like the Eisenhower Box can further enhance your prioritization efforts by categorizing tasks into four quadrants: urgent and important, important but not urgent, urgent but not important, and neither urgent nor important. This method helps in making clear distinctions between tasks that require immediate action and those that can be scheduled for later or delegated. Additionally, leveraging technology such as task management apps can streamline this process and ensure that nothing is overlooked.

No ambiente hospitalar é necessário prudência em suas atividades e sem querer, é fato que nos sentimos acelerados, pois o tempo se torna muito mais precioso. Sugiro avaliar com muito amor as tarefas, calma, foco, inteligência emocional e terá resultados significativos.

As you are allowing yourself to be supported, you also can look at what you are prioritizing vs what's actually important. In the formula for prioritizing, you can de-prioritize things that are neither important nor urgent and bring up-prioritize things that have a bit more urgency and are important. Everything in between can be put on a timeline accordingly. Since our industry is fraught with sense of urgency it can be challenging to tease apart what is urgent / important and what is not since everything will feel like it's important. This may be an opportunity to work with a coach to help you to sort these things out.

Find time when work starts and stops. Be disciplined about this. Let your personal value reflect on the boundaries that you set. Find what is personally important to you and make that your compass.

O n?o muitas vezes se faz necessário, se preocupe de imediato o que já lhe foi delegado de acordo com a sua fun??o, até porque existe um prazo para a entrega e o que for a mais, e estiver ao teu alcance o fa?a, estabelecer limites é muito importante. O cuidado com a sua saúde e a qualidade do atendimento é muito importante e realizar com excelência, é necessário ter este controle.

Setting boundaries in the workplace necessitates a comprehensive understanding of the knowledge and metrics relevant to your tasks. Familiarity with the standard benchmarks and criteria for your responsibilities allows employers to gauge when workloads become excessive or when requests are unfeasible. Maintaining respect and adhering to the established chain of command are crucial for effectively managing these boundaries.

Absolutely, setting boundaries is crucial for maintaining both personal well-being and professional effectiveness. It’s helpful to have open discussions with your team and supervisors about your current workload and what you can realistically manage. This transparency ensures that expectations are aligned and that you’re not silently struggling. Implementing structured work hours and specific times for breaks can also safeguard your mental and physical health. Remember, it’s okay to delegate tasks or ask for adjustments in deadlines when necessary. By doing so, you ensure that your work quality remains high and that patient care does not suffer due to fatigue or overextension.

In our industry, we are often the victims of "scope creep". This is when we are asked to take on responsibilities that are not technically in the scope of our contracts (i.e. additional roles and titles) without being promoted or paid for such. Calling back to the important vs urgent conversation above, we can learn to sort through what is ours to do and what is not helping us to prioritize our actions. When we are asked to do something which we either do not have the bandwidth to do, is not an urgent priority, or is simply not our job, we can learn to say no. Because of the conditioning this may come with a feeling of guilt initially, but once you experience the benefits and practice it becomes easier over time.

The trick to avoiding burnout is in compartmentalising daily activities into different portfolios. I get engaged with my patients not just with the clinical issues alone but also with their general wellbeing and other socioeconomic factors that may be affecting them and offer advice while also sharing experience. After work, I get involved in my other portfolios and leaving behind my clinical work. More than 40 years as a physician transitioning from orthopaedic surgery/trauma to interventional spine/pain medicine/surgery, I have maintained a stress free work life and getting fun out of all my work portfolios and related extra-curricular activities which have over years also built an Armor of resilience and mental toughness. Thanks.

Como já mencionei em outro tema e refor?o sobre este cuidado com você, com o tempo o esgotamento pode acontecer e por isso é preciso parar e analisar. Fa?a um momento de reflex?o, realize uma caminhada ouvindo uma boa música para relaxar e recarregar a energia. é muito importante o seu bem estar, porque n?o? Por favor n?o se cobre tanto, tenha calma, cuide do seu bem maior que é a sua vida.

You’re spot on! Self-care is indeed a foundational aspect of sustaining both personal well-being and professional competence. Implementing a routine that includes regular physical activity can dramatically improve your physical and mental health, enhancing your resilience to stress. Also, maintaining a balanced diet and ensuring enough sleep each night are crucial for optimal functioning throughout the day. It’s also beneficial to explore mindfulness practices like meditation or yoga, which can reduce stress and enhance focus. Remember to seek support when needed, whether it’s professional counseling or simply talking to peers.

Exercise self-compassion. Ask yourself: “If this happens to a friend, how will I support them?” Turn that advice/support towards yourself.

Technology is often a “four letter word” in healthcare. However, embracing technology and spending the time to learn, train and adopt new digital tools will reduce frustration, and hopefully burnout associated. Physicians often spend time learning new treatments, new medications, or new procedures but do not spend equivalent time with technology. Focusing on these valuable tools and respecting the need for dedicated time and training will go a long way.

Embracing technology in healthcare settings can significantly enhance efficiency and accuracy. Electronic health records (EHRs), for instance, centralize patient information, making it easier to track health histories and update treatments. Telemedicine expands access to care, allowing patients in remote areas to consult with specialists without the need for travel. Additionally, digital tools like scheduling software and mobile health apps can help in managing time effectively and improving patient engagement. Staying current with technology not only eases your workload but also ensures that you are delivering the best possible care. Continuous learning and adaptation to new technologies are vital in this rapidly evolving field.

Embracing new technologies is the key essence of growth. Before Covid we all physically saw patients.With the advent of telemedicine we see more patients virtually and when required bring them in. Correct updating enables us to keep upto date whist AI adds a newer dimension.

Reflect on your (daily/weekly) schedule, time management and task prioritization. Did you manage your time well (in the previous day/week)? Did you prioritize tasks effectively? How much time did you spend on self care? Then make the necessary adjustments (if need be) Remember to be adaptable and flexible.

Review workflow and tasks. Let go of things that are not your organization’s priority. Move towards goals or tasks that make an impact. If there’s added workload, have an honest conversation with yourself or your boss about what can be reconsidered as deliverable in your current role. Then let go!