112. Pizza doesn’t work | An evidence-based intervention that reduced physician burnout and increased job satisfaction

Burnout is not a foregone conclusion. While individual efforts play a pivotal role, continually battling systemic challenges can be exhausting. In this episode, we delve into a simple and cost-effective systemic intervention that not only mitigates burnout but also enhances job satisfaction. We then discuss how you can recognize when your colleagues might be in distress, what to do about it, what to say, what not to say, and how to break through the stigma of seeking help. 

Guest Bio: 

Dr. Tricia James is an internist and the Director of Wellness at Providence Portland Medical Center. A champion of local and regional clinician wellness, she is the first author of the groundbreaking HOSP-CPR study

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We Discuss

• A study of two hospitalist groups. One struggled. One thrived.
• The intervention group’s mandate was threefold: Listen, identify the pain points, find agency
• The Role of regular debriefing, sharing experiences, and addressing uncertainty
• Engagement levels were high
• The Intervention Group continued meeting after the study, and it helped. A lot
• It’s not just talking about medicine and logistics. There’s a sense of cohesion and mutual support:
• Outcome of the Non-Intervention Group
• Challenges in wellness funding
• The value of funding and compensation for wellness initiatives
• Approach to securing grants
• Data and stories are great for persuasion. But it's empathy and curiosity that will win the day. 
• Most start by approaching administration for grants
• The first step when creating an in-house clinician-run program to build agency and thwart hopelessness
• Staffing is a significant stress for many and can seem insurmountable. What can you as an individual do about it?
• Emotional suppression in healthcare professionals 
• Our tendency to conceal weakness
• How to identify when one of your colleagues is in distress
• Approaching a distressed colleague
• What to do if you ask a distressed colleague how they're doing and they repeatedly say, "I'm fine," but it's clear they are not
• It's not our job to fix our colleagues that we're worried about. But we can step in and offer an invitation.
• The hardest part about reaching out to offer support is trying not to fix it
• Importance of asking hard questions
• The internal and external barriers to seeking help when we're struggling | Tricia paid for counseling out of pocket, so no one would know about it
• Dr. James’ vision for medicine