The healthcare sector faces significant challenges, beyond staffing shortages. Research by the CDC highlights this approximately 80% Of healthcare workers are women, many of them in particular Prone to fatigue. Study 2023 in Journal of General Internal Medicine It found that more than half (56%) of nurses working in healthcare experience emotional exhaustion and struggle to meet the demands of the job, along with 47% of doctors and 54% of other clinical staff. This contributes to a stressed health care system, high rates of staff turnover, and concerns about patient safety.
While preventing burnout is critical, addressing this issue cannot fall solely to healthcare employers. Many hospitals and healthcare organizations are already struggling with staffing pressures and operational demands, and asking them to undergo extensive training in burnout and resilience is an unrealistic expectation. Educational institutions play a major role in preparing students for the emotional challenges they will face in healthcare careers.
Education as a basis for resilience
As healthcare organizations continue to face workforce challenges, it is essential for schools and training programs to provide students with the tools they need to manage the emotional and psychological demands of the profession. This is especially important for women and other groups who may face additional stress in the workplace.
To support the healthcare workforce of the future, burnout prevention and resilience training should be prioritized in educational curricula. Some organizations have begun incorporating mental health resources, peer support systems, and resilience workshops into their programs. In addition, some schools offer educational modules on “trauma-informed care.” Helping students understand And prepare for Emotional aspects From patient interactions. While these initiatives are steps in the right direction, there is still a need for further integration of emotional well-being practices.
For many women in health care, the need for resilience training becomes even more urgent when they face “Midlife collision“, a period in which they juggle the demands of their careers with potential caregiving responsibilities at home. Women are often tasked with raising children while simultaneously caring for elderly parents, a dual role that adds significant pressure to an already stressful career in nursing or medicine. This phase can lead to From life to amplifying the challenges of burnout, they navigate competing demands on their time and emotional energy.
Resilience training is especially important for these individuals, because it provides them with strategies to cope with the overwhelming pressures of balancing personal and professional responsibilities. By incorporating training that addresses the unique stressors women face in caregiving roles, educational programs can better prepare them for the demands they will face in the workforce and at home, and help them build the mental and emotional fortitude needed to maintain their well-being. Certainly, as more men take on dual healthcare and childcare responsibilities, we can expect the same level of exhaustion and fatigue.
The need to work in the field of education in health care
As the healthcare landscape evolves, it is important to realize that resilience cannot be fully developed while at work; It must be cultivated from the beginning. Educational institutions are in a unique position to help nursing, medical, and other healthcare students build this skill, ensuring they are prepared not only to enter the workforce but also to thrive in it.
Schools and training programs should include wellness strategies in their curricula. Rather than providing general advice, these strategies should focus on evidence-based practices such as mindfulness, stress management, and peer support. Providing these tools during education helps ease the transition into the workforce and relieves pressures on employers who already face high demands.
Prioritize preventing burnout from the beginning
The healthcare workforce faces an ongoing burnout crisis, and addressing this issue early is critical. Many studies show Nurses and nursing students suffer from high levels of stress, with a large percentage of them reporting anxiety and fatigue due to academic pressures. Without proper training in burnout prevention, students may enter the workforce unprepared to deal with the emotional demands of their jobs. This doesn’t just affect nurses, of course – allied health professionals, doctors, and… Medical students They all face a high level of stress.
Failure to address this issue at the educational level means missing a critical opportunity to equip healthcare workers for long-term success. By incorporating burnout prevention and resilience training into education, we can create a more sustainable healthcare workforce that is better prepared to meet increasing demands.
Bethany Friedlander He is president and CEO of New Bridge Cleveland, a workforce development program and school that provides free training for in-demand health care professions. Erin Sly, DNP, MHA, RN, is the associate dean of the Central School of Practical Nursing, the oldest practical nursing program in Ohio.
