Blog home
High rates of clinician turnover are impacting healthcare organizations nationwide. In fact, a 2022 survey found that and another 8% retired during the pandemic. So, it鈥檚 more important than ever to have highly engaged, loyal employees. Research shows that highly engaged teams have and 10% higher customer ratings, which affect the productivity, safety, and profitability of your business. Here are six ways to increase clinician engagement and improve retention at your healthcare facilities.
1. Get out of your office
One of the most effective ways a leader can affect clinician engagement in their organization is to leave the office and talk to their people. 鈥淚 would be out of my office and talking to the frontline providers as much as possible,鈥� says author and organizational culture expert Michael Pacanowsky. 鈥淚 would make sure my hospital or clinic really focused on doctors and nurses so they feel supported, respected, and treated like individuals.鈥� Taking time to listen lets clinicians know you鈥檙e serious about improving workplace conditions and quality of care in your organization.
2. Identify areas of excellence and replicate them
Every organization has some areas that simply function better than others. When it comes to clinician engagement, look for the positive deviants 鈥� where things are going well. 鈥淪tudy your strengths, not your weaknesses,鈥� says Matthew Wride, president of , an employee experience firm. 鈥淔ind out why a particular hospital is off the charts with its engagement scores and spend time there; you鈥檒l find the insights you need.鈥� Then work to replicate those conditions throughout your organization.
3. Create accessible ways to recharge
Good to employee engagement, and burnout is one of the top reasons clinicians change jobs. With clinicians鈥� busy schedules, creating 鈥渂ite-sized鈥� wellness sessions for them made sense to Dr. Dawn Ellison, emergency physician and Clinical Partner Engagement Officer at in Minnesota. 鈥淒uring COVID, we offered a noon time, 15-minute pop-in session we called 鈥榃ellness Reset鈥�,鈥� she says. 鈥淓ight of us would take turns offering a mindfulness, self-compassion, or grounding practice.鈥� CentraCare has also offered virtual wellness events that could be watched whenever convenient.
4. Provide space to decompress
The pandemic prompted in Louisiana to create decompression zones for its clinicians. 鈥淭hese are quiet spaces, usually in our waiting areas and lobbies that weren鈥檛 being utilized by visitors,鈥� says Melissa Love, vice president for professional staff services and the office of professional well-being at Ochsner. 鈥淲hen they were finished with their shift, they had somewhere that was quiet and dedicated.鈥�
Love says Ochsner also began providing decompression sessions with the help of their therapy and wellness resources. 鈥淲e had people available when you were coming off your shift, and we had behavioral health providers rounding in some of our specific code units. You didn鈥檛 have to call and ask for it, we were just showing up.鈥�
5. Recruit clinicians as coaches and wellness leaders
Positive interpersonal relationships are one of the most important factors when it comes to provider engagement and happiness at work. A 2019 survey found that physicians who indicated having 鈥渕any鈥� friends at work also indicated (70%), while physicians who reporting have no friends, only 39% had high satisfaction. A program of peer-to-peer coaching gives clinicians someone to talk to and ask questions. Most importantly, it creates a sense of belonging.
6. Expand your clinician appreciation program
It can be hard to remember to recognize others鈥� hard work when you鈥檙e busy yourself, but it鈥檚 especially important that providers feel appreciated if you want to retain them. 鈥淚 think a card from a department manager to your home expressing appreciation to you for something a patient said would be really meaningful,鈥� Dr. Ellison says. 鈥淢aking people feel known and cared for, while recognizing their hard work is more effective than just recognizing the work. This is the core of our appreciation effort.鈥�
The benefits of better engagement
Improving provider engagement is one of the best things you can do for your organization to increase retention. Engaged providers are more likely to , report higher well-being, and contribute to lower costs overall.
This article was original published on . Weatherby Healthcare is a division of 博亚国际娱乐城. Let us know how we can support your facility鈥檚 staffing needs. Give us a call at 866.851.9214 or email ecs.contact@chghealthcare.com.
