Tag: healthcare

Healthcare Burnout: Advice from Liz Pollack Part 3

As part of our series on healthcare burnout, certified executive and personal life coach, Liz Pollack, shares techniques on how to deal with difficult people in the workplace.

Click to download the Conflict Inventory resource from Liz

We want to thank Liz Pollack for not only sharing this resource but also for
her expertise as we work through this video series.

Liz is a Certified Executive and Personal Life Coach, Grief Counselor, and Pet Loss Grief Counselor. She can help you learn to cope in many ways – work, home, grief, relationships, etc.

She is available at 309.370.4492 or email: legup@mtco.com

Healthcare Burnout: Advice from Liz Pollack Part 2

In our ongoing series on burnout, Liz Pollock talks about the two types of fatigue that healthcare workers often experience: General fatigue, and fatigue of compassion. Listen to learn more about each one so you can recognize the signs.

Liz is a Certified Executive and Personal Life Coach, Grief Counselor, and Pet Loss Grief Counselor. She can help you learn to cope in many ways – work, home, grief, relationships, etc.

She is available at 309.370.4492 or email: legup@mtco.com

To access the assessment mentioned in this video, click here.

Healthcare Burnout: Advice from Liz Pollack Part 1

In this episode, Liz shares her definition of healthcare burnout from a professional perspective, the causes, signs of burnout, and why nurses are more prone to it.

Click to download the “Am I Burned Out” self-assessment from Liz

We want to thank Liz Pollack for not only sharing this self-assessment but also for her expertise as we work through this video series. Take time to answer the questions. If you already know that you are suffering and need help, one of the recommendations is to seek professional help.

Liz is a Certified Executive and Personal Life Coach, Grief Counselor, and Pet Loss
Grief Counselor. She can help you learn to cope in many ways – work, home, grief, relationships, etc.

She is available at 309.370.4492 or email: legup@mtco.com

The Benefits of Working as a Travel Healthcare Provider

Money makes the world go around. No doubt. Those incredible crisis pay packages were something we never imagined would happen. But one thing about travel healthcare is to always expect the unexpected. That is another reason so many high-quality professionals seek travel assignments to avoid the same routine day in and day out. Same people, same providers, same environment. Why not change your scenery every 8-12 weeks?

While those historic pay packages are probably gone, the compensation for a travel healthcare provider usually far outweighs the pay for a staff healthcare person. Along with that pay are the perks that come in so much higher on the list of top qualities veteran healthcare travelers look for in a company.

To be a successful healthcare traveler, you must ensure you work for a financially healthy travel agency. A company that has longevity in the industry and a successful track record of paying their employees. Additionally, what do the agencies’ clients say about them?

    • Is direct deposit available?
    • How simple is the payroll system? Is there a consistent pay schedule?
    • Are compensation packages outlined in a contract?
    • Does the agency have long-term established relationships with hospitals in the State you wish to work in?

Once you have ensured the travel agency is a quality reputable business, what about other perks the company offers?

      • What type of health insurance plan do they offer?
      • Is there dental insurance?
      • Vision options, short term disability, Life Insurance?
      • Is there a retirement savings plan?
      • Is there a continual education reimbursement?
      • Is there a new employee orientation process that outlines the company’s expectations, policies, and procedures?

Finally, how streamlined is the process from application to employment offer? Having a successful personal recruiter can make or break your experience and longevity in this industry that has been around over forty years.

      • Is your recruiter available and transparent?
      • Is the Agency available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? Is there an on-call team available?
      • Are you able to express your goals and feel heard about those expectations?
      • How streamlined is the hiring process and onboarding process?
      • Most importantly, are you able to switch recruiters and remain in the same organization if there is not a connection between the two of you?

Travel Healthcare has been around for decades and is clearly here to stay for the foreseeable future. One year minimum of experience can potentially get you started on a twenty-plus-year career. You can stay close to home or travel as far as the roads or airlines can take you.

The personal and professional growth you can experience and gain from this industry is a rare opportunity, as not too many careers have such experiences to offer. Whether you travel for one or two contracts a year or year after year, the flexibility the industry has to offer is hands down second to none.

Dealing with Difficult Co-Workers

Referring to some of our recent blogs and videos on healthcare burnout, another reason so many healthcare workers get burnt out is due to dealing with difficult people – whether it is patients, a patient’s family member, or coworkers. Dealing with difficult people can be challenging on many levels and if you are dealing with the same difficult person day after day, there are ways to manage that person and or manage yourself in the situation.

When finding yourself in a negative situation with a colleague, it is most important to understand that you do not need to like your colleague. It is not a prerequisite to doing good work together. What is necessary is to share the common goal of offering the best work and patient care together. Try the following dos and don’ts:

  • Do NOT let the situation get personal. Regardless of how the other person behaves, you should ALWAYS take the high road. Bringing personal issues into work is a sure-fire way to create a difficult work situation.
  • DO communicate the issue at hand. Often people assume something that may not be factual. Ask to speak with the colleague in private for just a moment to talk about the issue you are having. Moreover, you may wish to ask if there is something that you have done that may be causing this person to work negatively with you.
  • Do NOT rule out examining yourself in the situation. It is far easier to blame others when things go wrong than to take a look at your part in the situation and see if there was something you could do differently.
  • DO reach out to your recruiter. Your recruiter is always available to help discuss any situations you may have. Even if you feel it is a small issue, small issues can become large issues if gone unresolved. Your recruiter can help guide you through the situation to assist in immediately resolving the issue so that you and your professional integrity remain intact.

Most importantly, remember that there will always be difficult people in any profession. While you are unable to control the person causing you issues, your reaction and how you handle yourself, says everything about you. You are in control of your reaction and a simple reach out to your recruiter can help resolve the issue at hand. You do not have to ignore or just accept it.