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Although the medical field is known for having a relatively high level of job satisfaction (48 percent of those working in private practices said they are very satisfied or extremely satisfied with their jobs), being a doctor is not without its difficulties.
While many doctors enjoy some aspects of the job (working with people, providing care people need to be healthy, etc.), being a physician can also be highly draining on one's physical, emotional, and psychological health. If the negative aspects are not addressed, it could lead to physician burnout, which makes it much more difficult to remain effective as a physician. That said, the following is an overview of 3 ways to improve physician happiness in your facility.
Coaching and Individualized Counseling
One of the top ways to improve physician happiness is by offering coaching and counseling. By hiring a career coach, your practice can help its physicians reignite their passion for their work. Not only can a career coach help them to focus on their strengths while strengthening weaknesses, but they can also help them feel acknowledged and heard. Additionally, by offering counseling services, this can help the physicians in your practice to find healthy ways to deal with the everyday stressors concerning their careers. This is an imperative element to help physicians find balance on the job, as well as find the best ways to balance their lives outside the job.
Another method of addressing issues that are affecting individuals is installing a suggestion box. This will allow physicians who may not be comfortable discussing the issues directly find another outlet.
Regular Review and Improvements of Workflow
Given that one of the most draining parts of being a physician is a lack of balance with regard to workflow, frequently assessing and improving the workflow at your practice is a great method of boosting happiness. Rather than finding one blanket method of dealing with all the physicians working in your practice, meeting with your physicians monthly to understand how workflow can be improved is a great way to make the practice more efficient overall. For instance, some doctors may love charting while others may find it too time-consuming. On the other hand, while some physicians may enjoy seeing lots of patients each day, others may feel overwhelmed with the number of appointments on their schedules. Moreover, this may change depending on internal and external variables, such as personal health or family issues, internal office politics, and more. In order to boost physician happiness, administrators should make it possible for each physician to do more of the things they love while offering assistance on the tasks they find overwhelming and daunting.
Upgrades and Training
Lastly, in order to make the workplace more enjoyable for all, the administration needs to find the best ways to upgrade the office as well as offer the physicians ways to strengthen their weak areas. For instance, EHRs (Electronic Health Records) have helped improve practices across the country in many ways, but they can also be difficult for veterans of the industry to become comfortable with. Therefore, the upgrade should include a level of training for all physicians that are struggling to learn the new system.
There may be other areas of your office that are dated or need further improvement. For example, patient portals are becoming a highly popular option for interacting and managing patient appointments, results, appointment reminders, etc. Although it may take some time and training, upgrading your system to include a patient portal will save your physicians lots of time and energy in the future.
Overall, there are plenty of methods for boosting physician happiness. If you need assistance in this matter, be sure to consult with a trusted professional agency to discuss the best methods of practice management for your office.
