Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1393415
35 WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP 35 CEO / STRATEGY Invalidation Many clinicians' raw emotions were met with performative gestures (clapping but not masking), toxic positivity, and reductive suggestions to take a walk, yoga class or deep breath. "From a physician standpoint, pre-COVID, one of the things that was extraordinarily frustrating was the workload burden that frequently led to burnout," said Dr. Cawcutt. "What frequently happened was so much advice of, 'Oh you just need more self-care. You should sign up for a yoga class.' Well, my individual yoga has nothing to do with the system that is starting to fail and overstretching us where we can't do our jobs the way we need to." When leaders, managers or colleagues responded to new emotions and experiences with good intentions but the same menu of pre-pan- demic solutions, healthcare professionals felt worse. is was exacer- bated when the national sentiment split, with widespread celebration of "healthcare heroes" turning into politicized resentment, sneers at healthcare's calls for masking and safety, and the pitting of public health against economic viability. "You go from being 'heroes' to the flip of that — the people who are causing the problem, the reason there is a problem, the reason the economy is failing. It's very hard to manage that kind of flip-flop," said Dr. Cawcutt. Isolation Healthcare professionals couldn't turn to their familiar outlets for stress, which is something they shared with much of America throughout the pandemic. Quality time with family and friends or re- juvenating workouts at the gym were not widely accessible. But something more unique to healthcare professionals' experience is deceptively obvious, yet incurs its own emotional toll: How little they have been able to fully emote and see one another's faces for a year- plus. Don't misunderstand — masking is a must in healthcare organi- zations. But its necessity doesn't negate its unintended consequences. "A component of this that I think adds another layer of complexity is interacting with patients in full PPE," said Dr. FitzPatrick. "Some of those emotions were lost because we lost key parts of our body in how we emote. e basic emotion of happiness, smiling or showing warmth — you can't do it in ways you normally would. It's hidden by the PPE we are still wearing." Are your managers and leaders ready for this? At Jefferson Health, CEO Stephen Klasko, MD, and numerous se- nior leaders at the system are working to expand the way Jefferson responds to exhaustion and struggle among its 32,000 associates. So far, more than 2,500 Jefferson staff across all levels of the system have undergone psychoeducation, including training on coping skills to support personal and collegial well-being. Some within that group also received formal training on an evidence-based mental health support methodology. Jefferson is just getting started. Leaders plan to expand the number of colleagues who receive these resources and opportunities to strengthen emotional support skills. Because one thing that became clear at Jefferson is likely true at most health systems nationwide: Managers didn't know what to do or say when a team member said they were struggling. "e hardest thing we've found when we encounter well-intentioned managers is they have been very forthright in saying, 'We just don't know how to talk about this. We know we're at a critical intersection, but we don't know what to say,'" said Michael Vergare, MD, former chair of psychiatry and human behavior with omas Jefferson Uni- versity and Sidney Kimmel Medical College in Philadelphia. "at's led us to develop more training for them and services to help them become a bit more sophisticated psychologically so we can observe along the way and intervene earlier." While managers might feel especially hamstrung responding to others' emotional hardship on the job, they are one small part of a wider, long-standing culture in medicine that has rewarded and up- held perfectionism, excessive hours and little vulnerability. is is nothing new: Physicians and healthcare professionals have been immersed in this culture for decades, each with their own war sto- ries that hardly promote well-being. Medical school may be the last time introspective conversation or questions about how they're doing are commonplace. "ere is a whole repertoire of ways to talk that even I am still learn- ing, but we don't regularly build that into our work processes," says Dr. Vergare. "When you add to that a personality that is hyper-seri- ous, concerned and perfectionistic in everything they do, we're talking about a perfect storm." More than word choice As COVID-19 cases steadily decrease in the United States, it's tempt- ing to think healthcare professionals' exhaustion will naturally sub- side, too. Maybe it will, to some degree. But the mental and emotional effects of the pandemic are going to be with us for a long time. And it's not as though pre-pandemic rates of burnout are an especially attrac- tive destination to rebound to. Naming distinct emotions or experiences helps diffuse their charge and gives us a say in what we do with them. Hospitals and health sys- tems are at a tipping point. Attitudes, language and responses to suf- fering among their own will either expand and evolve, or stay narrow, stuck in pre-pandemic thinking wherein "burnout" is the diagnosis for every less-than-great emotion. Who wants to work in the latter? Burnout isn't always the right word. Ask your people what is, and why. n 49 HCA hospitals in Florida to unite under 1 brand By Alia Paavola F orty-nine Florida hospital campuses and affiliated care sites owned by Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare will adopt the HCA Florida Healthcare brand, the for-profit hospital operator said May 24. The transition is slated to begin in September with HCA's facilities in East and West Florida, and the remaining facilities will adopt the new brand in 2022. HCA said the statewide shift will further unite its 49 hospital campuses, more than 350 care sites, about 11,000 active and affiliated physicians and more than 77,000 workers across Florida. "A strong, statewide brand will help create a cohesive experience for our patients, physicians and communi- ties. Our goal is for patients across the Sunshine State to confidently visit any HCA Florida Healthcare loca- tion, and expect to receive a top-quality experience," said Chuck Hall, national group president at HCA Healthcare. "HCA Florida Healthcare is a purpose-driv- en brand that will elevate how we serve our commu- nities by further leveraging our collective strength." n