Medical staff burnout is a prevalent healthcare issue that often gets overlooked. It’s no wonder why many consider healthcare as one of the most stressful professions in the world. On top of the sheer number of patients to take care of, the demanding schedules and diverse range of tasks make healthcare workers more susceptible to stress, emotional exhaustion, and burnout. 

Staff burnout has far-reaching implications on the well-being of healthcare professionals, but it also has an indirect adverse effect on patients. A 2019 PRC Custom Research survey shows that burnout can negatively affect nurses’ capacity to care for themselves and their patients.

Considering the demanding and high-stakes nature of the healthcare profession, you owe it to your practice and your patients to optimize your workflows and make day-to-day tasks faster and more convenient.

Signs Your Staff is Burned Out

Burnout manifests in different ways from person to person. One of the easiest ways to tell if a staff member is suffering from burnout is the dip in their productivity rate and quality of care. Although multiple variables determine work rate and patient satisfaction, stress and extreme physical fatigue are significant factors that trigger their decline. 

Even if most of your team isn't demonstrating signs of burnout, it could still be worth looking into their individual stress and fatigue levels. If one or two of your staff members aren’t performing their best, it'll eventually affect the whole team's performance. Here are some telltale signs of a burned-out healthcare worker:



• Dreads going to work
• Difficulty sleeping
• Lack of motivation
• Easily irritable
• Difficulty concentrating
• Memory loss
• Anxiety
• Gets sick more often
• Becomes apathetic towards patients

The old healthcare adage, "prevention is better than cure," also rings true regarding staff burnout. Don't wait before your productivity, quality of care, staff retention rate, and bottom line take a hit. Your employees are your most valuable resource. It's only fitting that you take care of their well-being as well.

5 Steps to Prevent Staff Burnout in Your Practice

1. Choose an Intuitive Software

Practice management systems have a crucial yet often underrated impact on staff well-being. Considering that much of your clinical, administrative, and billing functions rely on your practice management software, you must choose a comprehensive platform that doesn't just meet all your needs but is also easy to use.

Clunky and cumbersome systems have been previously linked with physician burnout and could likely have a similar effect on your other staff members. It slows down your productivity and diminishes your quality of care, adding more stress and burden to you and your staff. 

As remote and digital technologies become increasingly popular in the healthcare industry, choosing cloud-based software, like billrMD, is the way to go. billrMD is a two-in-one practice management and medical billing platform designed to streamline your administrative and billing workflows, helping prevent staff burnout. On top of its advanced features and industry-leading user-friendliness, billrMD is FREE. All you need to do to get started is create a FREE account.

2. Allow Flexibility

While the spread of the COVID-19 virus has slowed down across the country, we're still far from getting back to normal. Your employees are also likely dealing with difficulties brought on by the pandemic, from homeschooling their kids to grieving for a lost loved one or even getting infected themselves. 

Challenging times like these call for better flexibility, not more restrictions. Allowing your staff to attend to personal matters when needed can go a long way in reducing their stress. You must strive to find ways to help them alleviate their burdens while maintaining a healthy level of productivity.

3. Make Mental Health a Priority

The pandemic has been hard on all of us, but healthcare workers have had a particularly challenging time. As one of the worst-hit sectors by the pandemic, healthcare professionals need more support now than ever.

Provide your employees access to counseling and other mental health interventions. Whether it’s in-person or virtual visits, any initiatives that support your staff’s mental well-being can make a difference.

Promoting mental health awareness shouldn't be considered an added expense but rather an investment in your employees. When you have a physically and mentally healthy workforce, it'll eventually translate to their performance at work.

4. Upskill and Personal Development Trainings

Healthcare is a dynamic and constantly evolving industry. It’s a field of work where learning should never stop. 

Healthcare organizations, regardless of size and specialty, should promote and encourage continuous learning programs. On top of equipping your team with the most recent and advanced techniques and methodologies in their respective roles, it also boosts your employees’ morale.

Learning new skills helps your staff feel more confident. It empowers them to take control of their careers. While often overlooked in the mental health conversation, personal development plays a crucial part in reducing stress and anxiety. 

5. Acknowledge Their Hard Work

As simple as it may seem, a quick acknowledgment of your team's hard work can go a long way in preventing burnout. It's so mundane that many business leaders often mistakenly forget to do it.

Nobody wants to feel underappreciated, especially if you've been putting in the work. So if you see a staff member with a strong work ethic, be generous with your time and give them a pat on the back. You can even give out little tokens of appreciation to really show that you care. This will make your team feel valued and recognized. And in turn, it will encourage them to work harder.

Protecting yourself and your staff from burnout requires a multifaceted approach. But at its very core, it comes down to winning your team’s trust and giving them the tools that make their jobs easier. 

billrMD is committed to improving the working conditions of every practice that we serve. We aim to create a burnout-free environment with advanced features, a straightforward user interface, and affordable rates. Create a FREE account today with no credit card required, and discover the limitless possibilities of a two-in-one, cloud-based solution.