The success of your healthcare facility relies on many functions – from operational management to leadership decisions, there are many factors at play that can impact your bottom line. However, leaders sometimes forget about the role of employees in maintaining a productive and fulfilling work environment. As research as indicated, physician burnout is one of the most prevalent factors affecting a facility’s bottom line. In addition to creating a toxic, draining culture, the impact of burnout can cause your organization’s financial health to take a downward spiral, often resulting in the following:
Reduced productivity. When your physician staff feel burned out, they’ll naturally perform their jobs at a reduced level. You’ll gradually notice your staff’s performance declining in the form of uncompleted tasks, errors in judgment on the job, and a lack of motivation. Over time, reduced productivity has numerous negative consequences on your organization, including medical errors, poor leadership; lack of teamwork; and poor quality patient care and satisfaction.
Lower morale. As some of your physicians mentally check out and other staff members are forced to pick up the slack, there’s likely to be a significant drop in morale among your entire team. Employees who are working harder to “fill in the gaps” may become resentful of their added responsibilities, resulting in growing tension among every member of your organization – from top leadership to entry-level workers. This can quickly create a toxic work environment that fuels anger and leads to your top providers quitting unexpectedly out of frustration.
Increased turnover. One of the most direct results of lower morale is increased employee turnover. As physicians and other staff leave your facility, you’ll experience a high number of vacancies – resulting in a high demand for new physicians and other staff members to fill vital roles in various departments. As this occurs, you’ll need to spend a significant amount of time and money recruiting, hiring and training new providers, all which can have a direct impact on your bottom line.
What can you do?
The key to maintaining a high-functioning facility is to prevent staff burnout before it happens. By being aware of its harmful effects, you can take steps to proactively combat physician burnout so it doesn’t affect your organization’s culture, employees or bottom line. An effective way to prevent physician burnout before it happens is to utilize locum tenens physicians to fill gaps in your staffing roster. This will help keep your team well balanced and ensure that your permanent staff are not overworked. Employing a trusted healthcare staffing partner is key to getting the right locum tenens providers in a timely manner.
Are you concerned about physician burnout?
Learn how a partnership with MPLT Healthcare can help you get the coverage you need and reduce physician burnout at your organization.
