Staff Morale in Medical Settings

[blueslily]

Hi all,

For those who work in medical settings, how is staff morale assessed? What is done to improve morale? This might be applicable for psychologists who work in other settings as well. What is done to help prevent staff burnout and improve job satisfaction?

Thanks!

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[erg923]

Hi all,

For those who work in medical settings, how is staff morale assessed? What is done to improve morale? This might be applicable for psychologists who work in other settings as well. What is done to help prevent staff burnout and improve job satisfaction?

Thanks!

Ice cream socials, whacky tie Wednesday.....Casual Fridays (beware)

 

[WisNeuro]

For many of us, I imagine it's assessed on whether or not we stay in the job.

 

[PsyDr]

Usually this stuff is discouraged for medicolegal reasons (e.g., you're documenting at least some impairment in a professional by saying they're burnt out, dual relationships, eap contract terms, etc).

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

For those who work in medical settings, how is staff morale assessed?
It isn't. It can often be ignored bc it's not an easy thing to fix. Churn (turnover of employees) is an accepted aspect of healthcare, seen commonly in nursing and often by faculty in problematic departments.

What is done to improve morale? What is done to help prevent staff burnout and improve job satisfaction?

Things like "Staff Appreciation" days are created, but actually admitting there is a larger problem opens up the employer to liability. Offering 5min massages 1-2x a year through employee wellness seems to be a popular go-to also.

 

[deleted343839]

In the academic heath systems where I have worked, faculty and staff morale are measured using anonymous surveys administered by a third party (eg, Gallup). But as others have said, staff turnover is an efficient metric.

Interventions to reduce burnout, like stress management and mindfulness training, are close to useless IMO. But perhaps it's cheaper to hire consultants and provide snacks than to give people more control over their jobs and pay for better/more talent.

The most effective morale boosters I've seen are changes in leadership, although that can destroy morale too.

 

[AppsAintNoThang]

Hi all,

For those who work in medical settings, how is staff morale assessed? What is done to improve morale? This might be applicable for psychologists who work in other settings as well. What is done to help prevent staff burnout and improve job satisfaction?

Thanks!

I'm not sure if this is intended for psychologists in management positions or for staff psychologists. If the former, it's a complicated issue as others have mentioned. If the latter, it's frankly not in our job scope for the most part. I provide suggestions based on hospital units on self care we can provide floor staff, and do mindfulness activities where I can. But it's not my gig to make the staff happy since I have no control over the administrative demands that make them unhappy.

 

[singasongofjoy]

I've often though about how if higher-ups would just take the time to inquire among everyone "what would make your job more efficient" (or, conversely, what are the elements that make your job difficult/more time consuming and what, if anything, do you think could make this better) they'd get some good ideas to improve morale. Either 1) changing procedures/habits that are causing bottlenecks they didn't know were so problematic or 2) finding a way to speak to the concerns that couldn't be changed so that everyone understands the important purpose that particular annoying policy serves. That way people know they're 1) being heard, even if nothing can change and 2) most people are more accepting of the annoyances because they can see the bigger picture. That worked well eons ago when I was leading a relatively small team in a school, but maybe that wouldn't work so well on a larger scale. Often just feeling heard can go a long way, though certainly isn't a permanent fix.

 

[blueslily]

Thanks everyone.

 

[blueslily]

Ice cream socials, whacky tie Wednesday.....Casual Fridays (beware)

You work in the VA, correct? Given restrictions to buy food with the dept budget, who pays for the ice cream socials?

Thanks

 

[erg923]

You work in the VA, correct? Given restrictions to buy food with the dept budget, who pays for the ice cream socials?

Thanks

I left VA recently. My last day will be next week.

Not sure what you're referring to? The AFGE and the medical center itself often bought food for employee events or employee appreciation celebrations (pizza, subway, ice cream, coffee, etc.)

 

[WisNeuro]

I left VA recently. My last day will be next week.

Not sure what your referring to. The AFGE and the medical center itself often bought food for employee events or employee appreciation celebrations (pizza, subway, ice cream, coffee, etc.)

You too? Welcome to the club. So far, the grass is greener on the other side.

 

[PsychPhDone]

You work in the VA, correct? Given restrictions to buy food with the dept budget, who pays for the ice cream socials?

Thanks

Our VA events are overwhelmingly potluck style... I would like some ice cream!*

*Even more, I would like a regular stock of toilet paper and soap.

 

[Fan_of_Meehl]

Hi all,

For those who work in medical settings, how is staff morale assessed? What is done to improve morale? This might be applicable for psychologists who work in other settings as well. What is done to help prevent staff burnout and improve job satisfaction?

Thanks!

Lots and lots of PowerPoint presentations, sloganeering, and vague (occasional) chanting about 'valuing employees,' 'team building,' 'preventing burnout,' '{insert BS flavor-of-the-month-business-school-pop-psychology-self-help-yammering}.'

But none of this ever translates into (from the level of the organization) very much actual support, listening, guidance, or modification of working conditions in ways that materially reduce 'burnout' or role conflicts that contribute heavily to work-stress. This is from my experience in government (state and Federal) hospital systems. Private sector may be different, in places. Any material support in relation to morale/satisfaction/burnout that you receive is likely to be offered only at the *individual* level by supervisors who still are (or who recently were) clinicians in the same system and therefore understand what you're going through. And they can only do what they are allowed to do within a system that nearly always does the opposite of what it says it's doing. Just the reality. Expect the organization to talk the talk all day long but not walk the walk. I see this, more and more, as a natural byproduct of healthcare systems being more heavily populated at the top levels by non-clinicians and others who have no sense of the inherent difficulties and ambiguities (and conflicting roles and ethical duties) that beset the day-to-day practice of mental health care.

 

[jmiah717]

Staff morale....hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha. No such thing at the VA


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Edited to add: I've also worked for private hospitals and it wasn't any better. Your morale needs to come from within and the friends and allies you make so you can bitch together about what's messed up that you can't fix. Seriously, allies to have coffee with and make jokes makes all the difference.

 

[blueslily]

I left VA recently. My last day will be next week.

Not sure what you're referring to? The AFGE and the medical center itself often bought food for employee events or employee appreciation celebrations (pizza, subway, ice cream, coffee, etc.)

In VA, food for staff is not approved from dept budgets. Medical center wide is different.