Handling Job Burnout in Stressful Professions Like Healthcare

 

Helping professions like health care, counseling or teaching also come with workplace stress and high rates of job burnout. Physicians and medical students have difficult jobs that take a toll on their health and wellness. The signs of job burnout include a lack of energy and belief in the job, tiredness and irritability, and physical symptoms like changes in sleep and eating patterns. They can also lead to serious health problems. For those experiencing stress due to burnout, there are options including finding a better work-life balance, stress management and a consciously healthy lifestyle.

What professions are most vulnerable to job burnout?
Paradoxically, it is the helping professions like teaching, counseling and healthcare that see the highest proportion of job related stress and burnout. Stressful jobs tend to produce high rates of burnout. The overall burnout rate of physicians in the U.S. is 35.2%. It?s even higher for younger physicians under the age of 35 years, at 44%. Female physicians report higher rates of job burnout than their male colleagues.
The high burnout rates are related to the stress experienced on the job. A study published by Medscape Physician Lifestyle Survey in January 2017, fond that 59% of all emergency doctors felt burned out. This is the highest rate among medical professionals.

What are the symptoms of job burnout?
Job burnout leads to a state of physical, emotional or mental exhaustion.
It is accompanied by a sense of disillusionment and doubts about the value of the job and the individual?s ability. Early signs are a cynical or critical attitude to work, a reluctance to go to work, irritability, lack of energy and lack of satisfaction in one?s work.
In some cases this may to lead to the use of food or drink to compensate. Sleeping patterns and appetite may change and there may be physical symptoms like headaches and backaches. Continuing stress can lead to greater vulnerability to diseases like heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, stroke, high cholesterol and more.

How to handle job burnout
The best way to handle job burnout is to address its causes. Job stress due to lack of control, a mismatch in values, lack of resources, and dysfunctional office dynamics can all be factored in. It?s important to achieve a work-life balance to prevent job stresses from taking over your life.
Stress management and professional help and support can help to address the underlying issues. Discussion with supervisors may suggest options to reduce workplace conflicts. A consciously healthy lifestyle with exercise, a balanced diet and enough sleep can also help. Finally, it may be important to honestly assess how well your current job matches your interests, skills and passions.

Job burnout is unfortunately a common occurrence in stressful jobs like teaching, counseling and healthcare. It can lead to serious health problems if not caught in time. There are a number of ways to reduce stress and handle burnout. Achieving a better work-life balance and a fit between the individual and the job are key to successfully negotiating and overcoming job stresses.