Dealing with extremely long shifts, life-or-death decisions, and constant exposure to suffering are all part of the job for healthcare workers. What isn’t talked about nearly enough is the toll this can take on the very people providing that care.
Healthcare worker mental health is a growing concern nationwide, with nurse burnout, physician burnout, and healthcare worker PTSD all showing up at increasingly higher rates.
Recognizing these difficulties is important for both the people experiencing them and the patients who depend on their care. This article will explore:
Healthcare has one of the highest rates of burnout in just about any profession. Many studies have noted that healthcare burnout is more of a structural issue. It’s driven largely by:[1]
When it comes to understaffing, this can cause problems very quickly. Units running short demand that remaining staff pick up the slack, usually without any increased pay incentives, more rest, or even recognition. A busy shift can mean one nurse covering twice the normal patient load until someone else can be found.
Over time, this can drain energy levels and cause job dissatisfaction and moral distress. The latter comes from the discomfort of knowing what good patient care looks like while lacking the resources to provide it.
Occupational stress in medicine also comes from the inherent emotional demands of the work itself. Nurses, physicians, and other medical professionals regularly bear witness to patient pain and suffering and make high-stakes decisions, often with limited time.
The administrative burdens healthcare workers face on top of their care duties can add extra stress. Paperwork and administrative tasks can take hours, leaving many providers finishing their charting sometimes after the shift should be over. This unpaid work done long after hours is often called “pajama time.”
Occupational stress in healthcare settings can look different for everyone, depending on the person and the role.
Doctor burnout can often include elements of autonomy or lack thereof. One review found that reduced control over the work environment was one of the strongest predictors of burnout for physicians.[2]
Documentation and administrative tasks are often a source of strain, with paperwork requirements eating into many shifts.
Doctors also carry a unique pressure around the medical decision-making process, with one wrong call carrying potentially life-altering consequences.
Nurse burnout can result from a collision of factors, including:
The American Nurses Association noted that burnout in the field has been closely tied to systemic issues as well, such as understaffing and limited autonomy within the hospital setting. Pressures like these add to the already substantial demands of providing bedside care.[3]
Nurses also tend to spend more direct time with patients than just about any other role, increasing their exposure to things like suffering and grief. However, the job rarely comes with a commensurate amount of support to help them process these things.
Caregiver burnout can impact people in many professions, including home health aides, nursing assistants, and even friends and family members who take on the role.
Caregiver burnout is described as a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion. It frequently overlaps with compassion fatigue, as caregivers are affected by the physical demands of the job along with the emotional toll of supporting someone.[4]
Because so much of this work happens one-on-one, and often outside a primary care setting, caregivers sometimes lack the same support that other roles have in a place like a hospital. Without that support close by, caregivers can also feel more isolated.
Secondary trauma develops when a healthcare worker takes in so much of a patient’s suffering that it starts to mirror a trauma response. Among emergency nurses, for example, estimates across dozens of studies put the prevalence rate of secondary traumatic stress around 65%, with rates going much higher during a period of crisis (such as the COVID-19 pandemic).[5]
But experiencing secondary trauma isn’t limited to one department, location, or role. The signs of secondary trauma in healthcare workers can include:
Left unaddressed, secondary trauma can lead to the development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), especially in high-exposure settings like emergency departments or trauma units.
Healthcare worker PTSD can still involve all of the major symptoms of the disorder, even if the exposure was indirect and didn’t happen to the person.
AMFM is here to help you or your loved one take the next steps towards an improved mental well-being.
Healthcare workers recovering from burnout, secondary trauma, and PTSD often aren’t sure where to start. These conditions all affect the nervous system, so treatment usually requires processing what happened rather than just trying to rest up.
Trauma-focused approaches like Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) remain some of the most well-researched treatment paths. Trauma-focused treatment is often a first-line option, ahead of medication, as it can directly target the memories themselves (the source of the distressing symptoms) rather than only managing the symptoms.[6]
For healthcare workers, trauma-focused treatment often means working through specific patient encounters, coding events, or patient losses that keep resurfacing, helping the brain process and file them away as past events rather than ongoing threats.
Additionally, it helps to rebuild a sense of safety and boundaries around work so you can feel more present outside of it too. The process can incorporate additional psychiatric care for difficulties like anxiety, depression, and sleep issues.
Matching the right level of care to the severity of what someone is experiencing is extremely important.
For healthcare workers who are able to work while managing burnout or early trauma symptoms, intensive outpatient (IOP) and partial hospitalization programs (PHP) can provide several hours of treatment per week. They don’t require you to step away entirely from your job.
Residential treatment, on the other hand, can benefit those whose symptoms have made it impossible or unsafe to be at work, or who are struggling at home. When you live onsite for treatment, you remove yourself from major triggers and can devote your full attention to the recovery process.
You may not know which level of care is right for you, but a clinician or intake team can help you make the right choice. A few factors usually guide that decision, including:
A Mission For Michael (AMFM) provides treatment for adults experiencing various conditions. Trauma support is a phone call away – call 866-478-4383 to learn about our current treatment options.
See our residences in Southern California’s Orange County & San Diego County.
Take a look at our homes on the east side of the Metro area in Washington County.
View our facilities in Fairfax County, VA within the DC metro area.
The best healthcare should always be available to the people who dedicate their own lives to helping others. If your shifts have started blurring together, then it might be time to reach out for help.
AMFM (A Mission For Michael) Mental Health Treatment addresses healthcare worker burnout, secondary trauma, and healthcare worker PTSD with targeted, focused treatments that are matched to your unique needs.
Our team of expert clinicians believes in treatment persistence and will personalize your treatment plan so you can achieve lasting, life-changing outcomes.
We offer an intimate, focused mental health treatment experience for adults in home-like settings that are carefully maintained to be peaceful, comfortable spaces. In addition to residential treatment, AMFM Mental Health Treatment also offers multiple levels of outpatient treatment.
Our locations in California, Minnesota, and Virginia accept insurance and are in-network with most major providers. To check your insurance coverage for mental health care, simply complete our confidential online verification form or call us at 866-478-4383.
Reach out to us if you would like to start the admissions process or learn more about how we can support your mental well-being. Our compassionate team is available 24/7 to answer your questions and provide guidance with no obligation.
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In most cases, it will not. Seeking mental health care on your own is confidential and separate from any disciplinary process.
Additionally, many state licensing boards offer physician and nurse health programs designed to support them through treatment while also protecting their careers.
It’s hard to say, as it’s different for everyone. Outpatient programs can run for several weeks or months, while residential approaches can last at least that long and sometimes more.
Ultimately, your recovery timeline will be based on your symptoms and progress, and not on any arbitrary timelines.
They often can. Family therapy and support sessions can help loved ones better understand your experiences and learn more about how to support you in your recovery.
This can be helpful and even critical if burnout or secondary trauma has strained your relationships with those closest to you.
Absolutely not. Early intervention can provide meaningful help before things escalate. Addressing issues like burnout, compassion fatigue, and emotional exhaustion early on can prevent them from growing into more serious conditions and disorders in the long term.
Reach out to AMFM Mental Health Treatment today to get started.
At AMFM, we strive to provide the most up-to-date and accurate medical information based on current best practices, evolving information, and our team’s approach to care. Our aim is that our readers can make informed decisions about their healthcare.
Our reviewers are credentialed medical providers specializing and practicing behavioral healthcare. We follow strict guidelines when fact-checking information and only use credible sources when citing statistics and medical information. Look for the medically reviewed badge on our articles for the most up-to-date and accurate information.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate or out of date, please let us know at info@amfmhealthcare.com
