A study from the spring found three in 10 health care workers had considered leaving their jobs because of the pandemic. A doctor in Omaha, Nebraska, says there is no easy cure for burnout, but wants fellow physicians to know she hears them, and their feelings are valid."It's a kind of tired that you don't get better from by the time you go back to work next," said Dr. Deanna Larson. For doctors and nurses going full speed ahead, Larson says it is time to slow down and self-reflect."You have to take care of your mental health. You just have to," Larson said.Larson told sister station KETV her physician's flame started to flicker years ago. But she said the pandemic has exacerbated burnout across the medical industry."You see these people that are really sick and things that we can't always do to help them," said Tera Kapke, a registered nurse in Fairbury, Nebraska. A Physicians Foundation report from June of this year found 61% of physicians feel burnt out. The International Council of Nurses reports a 70% burnout rate — up 30% from pre-pandemic numbers. "I'd work a few shifts in a row and pick up extra shifts and I'm just exhausted," Larson said.Larson coaches doctors battling burnout. She started a podcast to make self-help more accessible."We normalize our stress because that's just our job," Larson said. "We're givers, that's what we do. We're givers at the expense of ourselves."Added to a doctor's job description these days is healing a world plagued by misinformation. Doctors and nurses have become the target of online hate and harassment."You really just can't have empathy for anybody anymore,” Larson said. “You are literally just trying to survive, get to the next day."Larson offered a reminder to check up on the health care workers in your life, and encourages doctors to listen for symptoms of stress in themselves."We need to take care of ourselves, or there's not going to be anybody else to take care of us," said Larson, whose podcast “Beat Physician Burnout” is available to stream now.
A study from the spring found three in 10 health care workers had considered leaving their jobs because of the pandemic. A doctor in Omaha, Nebraska, says there is no easy cure for burnout, but wants fellow physicians to know she hears them, and their feelings are valid.
"It's a kind of tired that you don't get better from by the time you go back to work next," said Dr. Deanna Larson.
For doctors and nurses going full speed ahead, Larson says it is time to slow down and self-reflect.
"You have to take care of your mental health. You just have to," Larson said.
Larson told sister station KETV her physician's flame started to flicker years ago. But she said the pandemic has exacerbated burnout across the medical industry.
"You see these people that are really sick and things that we can't always do to help them," said Tera Kapke, a registered nurse in Fairbury, Nebraska.
A Physicians Foundation report from June of this year found 61% of physicians feel burnt out. The International Council of Nurses reports a 70% burnout rate — up 30% from pre-pandemic numbers.
"I'd work a few shifts in a row and pick up extra shifts and I'm just exhausted," Larson said.
Larson coaches doctors battling burnout. She started a podcast to make self-help more accessible.
"We normalize our stress because that's just our job," Larson said. "We're givers, that's what we do. We're givers at the expense of ourselves."
Added to a doctor's job description these days is healing a world plagued by misinformation. Doctors and nurses have become the target of online hate and harassment.
"You really just can't have empathy for anybody anymore,” Larson said. “You are literally just trying to survive, get to the next day."
Larson offered a reminder to check up on the health care workers in your life, and encourages doctors to listen for symptoms of stress in themselves.
"We need to take care of ourselves, or there's not going to be anybody else to take care of us," said Larson, whose podcast “Beat Physician Burnout” is available to stream now.
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