Hard Work Pays Off

The Hospitalist. 2007 July;2007(07):

July 1, 2007 | The Hospitalist

Step 3: Consider recommendations to ease workload. “You can try to change the workload through justifying adding staff or through putting systems in place that allow you to see more patients,” says Dr. Whitcomb. But what if the hospitalist considers or takes these steps and still finds his patient load to be unsustainable long term? “In terms of feeling like you’re not able to provide safe care,” says Dr. Whitcomb, “once you’ve suggested changes to the leadership and no changes are made, this may become a deal-breaker.”

Workload Leans on Other Pillars

The interesting thing about the workload/schedule pillar of job satisfaction is that, if you are unhappy with your workload, the other three pillars can sustain you and make you generally satisfied.

Dr. Whitcomb points to a 2002 article published in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior.1 The study examined a national survey of hospitalists and found that job burnout and intent to remain in the career are more meaningfully associated with favorable “community” relations than with negative experiences such as reduced autonomy.

“Workload is not a predictor of burnout as long as the other three pillars are intact,” summarizes Dr. Whitcomb.

Jane Jerrard has written for The Hospitalist since 2005.

Reference

Hoff T, Whitcomb WF, Nelson JR. Thriving and surviving in a new medical career: the case of hospitalist physicians. J Health Social Behav. 2002 Mar;43(1):72-91

Career Nuggets

Advice, Resources for Physician-Moms: The Web site Mom MD offers a list of resources for physicians who are mothers, with recommendations from how to hire a nanny to how to breast-feed while working or on call. Visit www.momMD.com

The Stress of Being Sued: When facing a malpractice suit or other litigation, take these steps to cope with emotional stress:

Keep your hours under control: Sued physicians often work harder, but adequate rest and relaxation are essential during this time.
Ask for second opinions and consultations: By consulting with others, you can help prevent clinical errors that might lead to other lawsuits. And when your colleagues confirm that your decisions are correct, this positive feedback can restore your self-confidence.
Emphasize people skills: Don’t let the suit have a negative effect on your relationships with patients.
Work on personal relationships: Share your experience with significant others in your life.
Use your time wisely: Maintain balance in work, rest, recreation, and, if you choose, worship.
Stay healthy: Monitor consumption of controlled and uncontrolled substances.

Source: American Medical News, published by permission of the author, Flora Johnson Skelly.

Watch Your Contract: Some hospitalist contracts make the (often unintentional) mistake of setting unrealistically high thresholds, says John Nelson, MD, a past president of SHM and columnist for “Practice Management” in The Hospitalist. For example, they may offer quality- or productivity-related compensation to the physician for exceeding a predetermined threshold. If you’re considering such a contract, be sure you know how difficult it is to achieve the target. For example, how regularly do existing hospitalists exceed the threshold. If the threshold seems unreasonably high, you might negotiate to lower it and accept a lower “bonus” when it is achieved. —JJ