Healthy workplace for providers helps patients too

Feb. 5, 2020

This paid piece is sponsored by Sanford Health.

Providing a healthy work environment for clinicians, one that encourages well-being and promotes commitment to patients, is part of an ongoing effort at Sanford Health.

It starts that first week, in fact, as new providers begin their orientation process.

“That first day at Sanford, we spend it all reaching out and thanking them for going into medicine,” said Dr. Craig Uthe at Sanford Health. “We thank them for choosing Sanford. It’s a well-being workshop.”

Nationally, the American Medical Association reports that more than 40 percent of physicians experience at least one sign of burnout. Supporting health care providers from early in their employment helps prevent burnout, according to a recent report from the National Academy of Medicine.

That’s why Sanford Health is making a broad and focused effort to build on why health care providers are attracted to their professions in the first place. The aim is to provide effective support to those whose occupational challenges are unique.

“Our hope is to create a philosophy at Sanford where you’re part of a family,” said Dr. Luis Garcia, Sanford Health’s clinic president. “We care for you, and we’re there for you.”

Dr. Erica Schipper is a Sanford Health obstetrician/gynecologist who cut back on her schedule when she and her husband started a family. It wasn’t a dramatic alteration, but it was enough for her to help negotiate the changes that come with continuing to devote the necessary time to her patients while also taking on motherhood.

“Having a few less appointments makes it easier for me to keep up,” she said. “So do I give up a little bit of money to do that? Yes. But you have to learn what works for you. So for me, having the liberty at Sanford to be able to say I’m just going to see a few less patients a day was really helpful.”

Maintaining a sense of proportion applies in all clinicians’ roles.

“As clinicians, we are constantly striving to find balance between work and family responsibilities along with activities we pursue for personal wellness,” said Dr. Brian Gatheridge, who practices psychology at Sanford Health Detroit Lakes Clinic in Minnesota.

“It’s often a matter of identifying and reminding ourselves of why we chose to become a health care provider. That’s while striving to create the type of practice we desire in the environment we desire.”

Working toward better personal and professional health can take on many forms. By expanding options, clinicians can find individually suited ways of improving the quality of their lives.

“We’ve tried to more generously provide services to employees that help them take care of themselves,” said Katie Nermoe, the director of wellness at Sanford Health Plan. “They can’t take care of patients until they’ve adequately taken care of themselves.”

Janelle Brandon is the supervisor of wellness and lifestyle medicine programs for Sanford Health Plan. In her role, she oversees Sanford Health’s provider concierge program.

The program allows providers to contact Brandon and share their wellness challenges. Brandon then acts as a concierge, offering possible solutions, along with any necessary research needed.

“We want to help with some of our wellness and lifestyle solutions to assist on the journey of self-care,” Brandon said. “We want to identify areas where we can bolster the resilience and the ability to cope and manage one’s day-to-day responsibilities.”

Brandon describes clinician well-being as “putting on your own oxygen mask” before helping others with theirs.

“In the case of providers, sometimes the stakes are really high,” she said. “It can feel like some of those increasing demands can be too much when those burdens are placed on their shoulders. We are one of those outlets that can help people manage those burdens.”

Achieving the life-work balance can be an intricate process, but the target is simple and clear.

“Our goal at Sanford is to help our clinicians live their life the best way they can live it,” Uthe said. “And within that, how can we help them work at their top efficiency in the work environment. Top efficiency means being with that patient in that moment and giving them 100 percent of your time. That’s going to drive quality and your efficiency. It’s going to drive all those things that make a health care system work well.”

He likened it to being a coach who wants to get the most out of the players.

“That’s our challenge,” he said. “How do we help people succeed in the work that they want to do?”

 

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Healthy workplace for providers helps patients too

Nationwide, four in 10 physicians report burnout. So Sanford Health is taking steps to support clinician well-being.

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