Sumo Medial Staffing

Working in healthcare has never been considered a “comfortable” career:

• Disease and death surround you.
• Patients may – understandably – be furious and difficult.
• Injuries and sickness among healthcare workers themselves are considerable.
• Work hours can be long, particularly during staffing shortages. 

As a result, burnout among healthcare workers has been reaching extremely high levels in the past few years.

An October story in The New York Times reported on a federal survey of American workers published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), stated that“[h]ealth workers feel burnout more frequently than they did before the Covid-19 pandemic.”

The research looked at data collected pre-pandemic and during the pandemic (2018 and 2022). The findings, the article says, quoting a chief medical officer at the CDC, that “’[p]rior to Covid, we knew that many hospitals were understaffed, that health care workers were burning out. I think Covid escalated that and I think just really strained the system.’”

How a locum tenens agency can help

Engaging the services of a locum agency – in which a healthcare facility hires the agency to provide healthcare professionals to work at the facility in a temporary capacity – can be a “viable solution” to healthcare worker burnout.

Here are a few reasons why:

• It will encourage full-time staff to take time off.

Everyone needs to take a break. Even just a couple of extra days every now and then can do wonders for a person’s outlook.

Healthcare professionals often decide on this career because they are exceptionally caring and committed people. Taking time off when hurting patients need care often means the health pros worry their patients won’t receive the attention they need.

Knowing that committed/caring professionals just like them will be there when they’re not truly can mean they’ll feel more secure that their patients will receive the best in attention and professional care.

A week or two off helps your full-time staff get a complete “break” from the day-to-day stresses, allowing them to completely relax and potentially recharge. Bringing in locum tenens temporary staff allows facility managers to provide hard-earned time off while also maintaining full coverage and a continuing high level of patient care.

• Taking time off helps healthcare pros continue working over the long haul, helping prevent resignations from burnout.

Rest from work is essential to being able to continue working overtime.

Nurses especially are susceptible to burnout: the longer the shift, the great chance they’ll start experiencing burnout and dissatisfaction with their job.

The CDC in November released results of a study on burnout among healthcare workers. The results are telling as well as troubling:

• Almost half of workers in 2022 said they often felt burned out. This is up from 32 percent in 2018.
• One in four essential workers in the U.S. (this includes healthcare professionals received a mental health diagnosis since the start of the pandemic.

The good news from the results?

• “Favorable working conditions, such as trust in management and supervisor support were associated with lower odds of burnout and overall poor mental health.
• “Healthcare workers reported less burnout when they had enough time to complete their work and be productive.” (Boldface ours.)

This is where the strategic partnership with a locum tenens agency can help your healthcare facility and the professionals who take care of your patients.

By allowing your team members to take essential breaks and vacations while also addressing staffing shortages, a locum staffing service will help renew a sense of well-being among your staff while also contributing to the overall resilience of your healthcare system

Learn more about how Sumo Staffing can help you stay fully staffed while giving your hard-working healthcare staff the time off they need.