Crisis And Opportunity

Have we reached a crisis among healthcare workers?

Burnout rates among physicians, nurses and other healthcare professionals are climbing!

According to a recent studies conducted at regular intervals between 2011 and 2021 by researchers from the AMA, Mayo Clinic and Stanford Medicine, rates are going up. Together, these studies found the overall prevalence of burnout among U.S. physicians was 62.8% in 2021 compared with 38.2% in 2020, 43.9% in 2017, 54.4% in 2014, and 45.5% in 2011.

Burnout among registered nurses is now, according to which report you read, hovering around 70%. “Critical care nursing is typically seen as the most stressful nursing job and is associated with the highest rate of burnout among nurses” according to a report published by the Critical Care Societies Collaborative (CCSC).

Burnout is nothing new among healthcare workers. And neither are studies that try to find the cause and express a solution.

But all these studies all seem to agree that the ?? NUMBER ONE FACTOR for burnout is “too much time at work.” That translates into “not enough time at home.” That impacts families, marriages, relationships, and emotional well-being.

Physicians, Nurses, Physician Assistants, and other healthcare workers are asked to work longer hours. New advances in medicine, equipment, computer assistance, and science have helped, but still, the “human touch” remains. And, many times, there are not enough “humans” around to treat the “human patient.” And that becomes a problem.

These dedicated, hard-working professionals are highly educated and trained. Yet, many are expressing frustration. The world they entered is, in many cases, not the world they envisioned early on.

Healthcare has morphed into big business. Hospitals administrators are CEO’s running big money-making machines. Healthcare has evolved into “sick care.” And, by and large, the biggest profits are made in the “two P’s,” prescriptions and procedures. Churning through the patients, kicking the can down the road, and rarely making a true difference in the health of the patient over the long term.

No wonder so many workers are burned out! ??

They are working long hours and it doesn’t feel as if they are making a difference.

Of course, there are many reasons for “healthcare burnout.”

And, although the NUMBER ONE REASON remains, this list below, while not all inclusive, shows additonal reasons that lead to burnout:

?? Bureaucratic overload, too much paperwork/computer work

?? Too many tasks given.

?? Lack of respect from administration, colleagues, staff

?? Insufficient compensation

?? Lack of reimbursement from insurance companies

?? Lack of control or autonomy

?? Not making a difference in the lives of patients

?? Emotional exhaustion

?? Lack of support

There is no easy solution for healthcare burnout.

There is a shortage of over 1 million nurses in the US today.

While “hiring more staff,” always seems to be the first solution provided, that, historically, has not worked. Nursing schools are producing more nurses….hospitals are hiring new nurses….and they are going in one door and out the other. Resignation rates at hospitals are at an all-time high.

And, according to AAMC.org, applications to medical schools have decreased 11.6% since 2021.

The solution is not to hire more people. The solution lies in the healthcare worker feeling like they can make a difference. They want to make a difference in the patient population. That's why they started in the first place!

Once that difference is made, everything changes.

We know that if we go upstream and tackle the root causes of many of the problems of the patient, BEFORE those problems take hold, then we can truly make a difference. Those patients then would not need the services that healthcare providers bring down the road.

And THAT is where the dilemma lies.

Do we help the patients BEFORE they need our help? How then does that affect the bottom line of profits made by hospitals, medical equipment manufacturers, insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies and sort forth?

Or is “profit” not something we want to talk about out loud?

As a “health coach,” I know that excess weight leads to heart disease, stroke, diabetes, certain cancers, hypertension, and a long list of other conditions.

And I also know that I can positively impact a patient, helping them and guiding them to weight loss and the corresponding improved health. Now, I can’t make guarantees or promises…and certainly the patient must be a willing and compliant participant, but I have seen too many positive results.

Therefore, each person I potentially help is one less patient in the healthcare system. Hmmmmm? Does that affect the profit margin of the healthcare system?

Certainly, thinking of healthcare as a big business, one can understand the resistance to implementing a “health coaching” system into the hospital system.

But are we healthcare….or big business?

Until that shift in the hospital system happens, we must see individual healthcare workers be brave. We need them to become “health coaches” even if on “the side.”

We’ll always have a need for those that can treat and care for the conditions and consequences of excess weight, poor nutrition and unhealthy habits, but it’s time that more healthcare workers step up and say “it’s time to move upstream!”

They start out small, a few hours here and there—wearing that hat in their own “health coaching business,” concentrating on proper nutrition and lifestyle—not short term diets. In addition to helping their patients, they become "health coaches" in their "spare time" too. Yes, everyone has "spare time."

There are a lot of “health coaching” programs out there. Some good, some not so good. Some involve selling, quotas, inventory, illegal pyramid schemes, gimmicks, fads, or questionable motives. Some are legitimate network marketing or franchise-like models. Before pursuing your own "health coaching" business, choose carefully and seek out a trusted and proven mentor for guidance.

My particular brand of “health coaching” has allowed me to leave full time healthcare. It’s now my time, my rules, my results. It’s not easy. It’s not get rich quick. It takes work and effort.

Make no mistake. There will always be a need for hospitals and healthcare.

But we don’t have enough health coaches.

Together, using the right health coaching system—we can make a difference!

For those experiencing burnout, “health coaching” becomes a real and viable option. It’s a opportunity to create opportunities and options. It’s an opportunity to go back to the roots of healthcare—and help patients live life again.

And it’s finally a worthwhile and legitimate opportunity to avert the crisis for so many healthcare professionals that feel trapped—and burned out.