While Mental Health Awareness Month is behind us, the importance of mental health and wellness is a year-round priority. When it comes to mental health in physician and provider recruitment, one of the main challenges is burnout, which can have extensive effects on everyone in the healthcare community, from clinical staff to recruitment professionals.
At AAPPR’s 2024 Annual Conference, Advancing Connections, members Jennifer Scherer, CPRP and Becky Trujillo, CPRP dove into “Navigating Burnout in Physician Recruitment” and the impact burnout has on the healthcare community. According to a recent American Medical Association survey, more than 50% of physicians across nearly all experience levels feel at least one symptom of burnout while those who are 6-10 years post-residency are the group most likely to feel burnt out. However, this is not only an issue among clinical staff. In physician and provider recruitment, more than 50% of professionals experience symptoms.
What Does Burnout Look Like?
Contrary to popular belief, burnout is not just stress. Stress is a response to a perceived threat, while burnout is a state of physical, mental and emotional exhaustion caused by prolonged and excessive stress and can occur both in the workplace and in personal lives. The causes and symptoms of burnout are wide ranging and can be difficult to pinpoint unless you are intentionally looking for them. If you’re experiencing lack of energy and trouble sleeping along with physical symptoms, such as stomach issues, muscle tension and headaches, you may need to ask yourself if you’re feeling burnt out.
Why is Burnout so Common in Recruitment?
The significant and continuing physician shortage in the United States is expected to increase in the coming years, placing high demand on recruitment professionals. Recruitment teams are pressured to do more with less and face a range of factors outside of their control, from organizational decision-making processes to candidates opting for competing positions. All that to say, it’s very likely these conditions can cause prolonged and excessive stress to the employees in the work environment, which can eventually lead to burnout.
How to Effectively Manage Burnout
Many healthcare organizations and recruitment departments stress how important their teams’ mental health is. While wellness programs can be a key component of a recruitment strategy for retention, recruitment professionals should also “practice what they preach” and prioritize their own wellness.
Recruitment professionals can do this by setting boundaries with their time. A 2023 study from Pew Research Center found that more than half of workers (55%) respond to work emails or other work-related messages outside of their normal hours. While there will always be work to do, it’s important to utilize weekend and evening time for rest and things that you enjoy. This will leave you more refreshed and effective when you return to the office.
In the presentation from Advancing Connections, Jennifer and Becky also suggest setting priorities and sticking to a schedule to better own your time. For instance, spend the morning hours prioritizing sourcing and answering emails, during the lunch hour set aside time to journal or walk and talk to colleagues, and be sure to find time in between work tasks to take a break, even if it’s just for five minutes.
When recruitment professionals prioritize their own mental wellbeing, they are more able to give their full attention and effort to developing and executing successful strategies for potential and current team members.
Recruitment professionals play a vital role in the healthcare community. They help improve access to care, attract and retain staff to improve their healthcare systems and provide opportunities for physicians that fit their needs. However, when we are burnt out, it’s almost impossible to perform to the best of our ability. Prioritizing your own mental health and organizing your time can help you bring your best self to work while helping others find the care and careers they need.