Elizabeth’s Tips for Mitigating Clinician Burnout

I talked recently about the challenges of in-room treatment during a pandemic. Now I see a new challenge facing therapists: clinician burnout.

A heartfelt update from our RVP, Elizabeth Johnson.

Hey I get it, you’re exhausted - mentally, physically and emotionally. It’s not surprising really, all things considered. I mean, we can battle through any hardship or stressor for a while… but this? Well, this is different. At first, most thought, “Sure, we can handle this, no problem.” But as the weeks turn into months, now many are feeling weary... we want this to go away, we want to be back to normal, we want our lives back. In the words of Goldie Hawn in Private Benjamin, “I want to go out to lunch. I want to be normal again!”

But now cases of COVID-19 are still rising in many states and especially in our congregate living populations. You may have been prevented from usual weekly team meetings, and we all miss the normal daily interactions with our teammates. You know what I mean... when you are all finishing up documentation at the end of the day and you turn to your co-worker (and friend) and ask, “Hey, have you faced this patient challenge before?” or “How was your weekend?” or “Did you hear about that new treatment protocol?” We miss these little interactions, the ones that built rapport among team members, and helped us feel like we belonged. And the hugs… oh how we therapists miss the hugs! The power of touch is a big part of why we followed this career path in the first place. We all understand the power of our healing hands on our people.

While the powers that be are talking about how to safely reopen the SNFs and Senior Living communities, we know what hasn’t been said yet… that we may not be able to re-open our communities to visitors and return to life as we knew it for the foreseeable future.

In the meantime, I know you have worked out many new challenges. 

• Physical distancing to slow the spread. Check.

• Wear a mask. Check.

• Lock down the SNFs and all senior living communities to protect our most vulnerable part of the population. Check.

• Create a COVID Unit, learn when and if to use telehealth, manage your prn usage, divide your team into COVID and non-COVID teams. Check, check, check, and check.

Not to mention the shift in many of your usual tasks, such as virtual team meetings to discuss caseload, and the performance of your usual duties. But how do you offer care and compassion to your team when they are feeling weary from the extended stress? My recommendation is that you remember the acronym “BREATHE” and consider the following:

• B: Buddy Up

  • Form a buddy system: pair each therapist in the department with another therapist to be buddies. They can check on each other daily during the work day, sending virtual hugs via phone, text, or email (or other team communication channels you may have).

• R: Reconnect

  • Schedule a virtual happy hour with your team so you can just socialize after work on a Friday. Catch up on all the personal news you no longer have time to share on a lunch break since you have to eat alone.

• E: Encourage

  • Pack a survival kit for each therapist, with individually wrapped snacks… maybe some healthy and maybe some favorite treats. Put a note to encourage them and remind them of those special traits of theirs that they bring to the team and that you treasure.

• A: Ask

  • Ask for the help you need - maybe families or community groups can donate goodies to help your team feel appreciated.

• T: Time

  • Allow therapists some time to provide some service to the residents that is not productive, but is invaluable. Perhaps helping with a meal in a resident’s room, or helping with a restorative treatment. It will feel like a luxury for the therapist, but will do so much good for the resident as well as help the nursing team.

• H: Hello

  • Make a good old-fashioned phone call or a Facetime call to each individual therapist on your team to check in each month or as needed. You don’t have to have any special words of wisdom; you just need to listen. And if there is something you can do to help alleviate their stress, I’m sure this may help you discover it.

• E: Exercise

  • Set a timer each day for a team break, where everyone takes a few minutes to stretch, or to just breathe and meditate for 5 minutes together at the same time, but still physically apart. Perhaps your community can provide a meditation app to your staff, such as Headspace, to encourage them to take time for self-care and to help them manage their stress.

These are but a few simple ideas to get you thinking, but mostly to remind you that even though your therapists may not show it, and will be reluctant to express their stress in light of what their patients and families are experiencing, they still need attention, care and hugs, in whatever form you can provide them. We all do.

Meanwhile, sending you a virtual hug,

- Elizabeth Johnson, PT, CDP, RAC-CT