“Great Resignation” Hits Healthcare Hard As Physician Burnout Persists

October 26, 2021 - Besides an ongoing global pandemic, another phenomenon is happening in 2021 and healthcare appears to be at the center of it.

The phenomenon known as the “Great Resignation” has to do with high levels of turnover across industries as businesses and their employees grapple with the economic consequences of 2021. Healthcare, in particular, appears to be the most impacted by this trend, with high percentage of nurses, physicians, and other providers reporting burnout, reports Jackson Physician Search and Medical Group Management Association (MGMA).

In a new white paper Getting Ahead of Physician Turnover in Medical Practices Survey Results, the organizations find that healthcare organizations need to address clinician burnout to get ahead of massive turnover, which could cost the organizations not only a lot of money but patient outcomes.*

“Successful business decisions begin by recognizing threats and opportunities, and the pandemic exposed many for healthcare organizations, so we’ve seen a rapid and sustained increase in the number of physicians actively looking for new jobs,” Tony Stajduhar, president of Jackson Physician Search, said in a press release.

“But what we’re learning is that post-COVID business recovery actually requires making the experience of being a doctor better for physicians. Recognizing the all-consuming nature of practicing medicine and considering physicians as partners versus employees are where it starts.”

READ MORE: Primary Care Faces Existential Threat Over Healthcare Workforce Woes

Improving the physician workforce experience could prevent nearly half (46 percent) of surveyed physicians from leaving an organization for another employer. However, nearly as many physicians (43 percent) said they were considering early retirement—another healthcare workforce trend in 2021 that could significantly impact the already dwindling supply of physicians.

Physicians cited a wide range of reasons for dissatisfaction with their current employers. Among those reasons was a lack of communication or collaboration with management and administration.

The Physician Retention Survey revealed a serious disconnect between physicians and administrators. While a previous survey showed similar perceptions of the current levels of physician burnout among physicians and administrators—both agree that levels are high—they did not see eye-to-eye on the reasons why physicians are feeling burnout.

Most physicians said their current employer/practice was driving burnout, whereas administrators were more likely to attribute physician burnout to the nature of practicing medicine, the white paper stated.

Administrators also said the COVID-19 pandemic played a bigger role in causing physician burnout compared to physicians, of which only 25 percent said the pandemic drove burnout. About 37 percent of administrators said it totally or caused most physician burnout.

READ MORE: Healthcare Mergers and Acquisitions Linked to Physician Burnout

“Administrators point to many different conditions that would address physician burnout, like having better clinical support, boosting compensation and lowering administrative burdens,” said Halee Fischer-Wright, MD, CEO of MGMA. “However, far and away, two-way communication with management and administrators is cited by physicians as the most important factor in keeping them satisfied in their current position.”

By not improving physician satisfaction and burnout, healthcare organizations run the risk of losing key players in their workforce during a pandemic. Even more troubling, a majority of administrators (67 percent) said their organization does not have a formal plan for physician succession. Another 16 percent did not know if their organization had a plan. However, succession planning is important, administrators agreed.

The Great Resignation is troubling for healthcare, which has faced clinician shortages for years while seeing an increase in demand for services as the population ages. However, this phenomenon could be a major opportunity for healthcare organizations to improve their workforce strategies, according to an article penned by Jill Geisler, the Bill Plante Chair in Leadership and Media Integrity at Loyola University Chicago.

The article recently published by the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) said that organizations should use the Great Resignation as an opportunity to “go on a listening tour” to hear from employees. These conversations should spark more flexible work arrangements that keep an eye on workplace safety and are sensitive to customer-facing team members who oftentimes take on stressful conversations with customers.

Geisler also advised employers to have a plan for each person on the team, think of what other employees may be considering when one of their colleagues moves on, and have a pipeline of potential hires.

READ MORE: Physician Compensation, Staffing to Take Big Hit from 10% Medicare Cut

Physician succession planning and recruitment are especially key during the Great Resignation.

“Right now, there is an opportunity for growth in how physicians are recruited,” said Fischer-Wright. “Typically, physician recruiting takes place over a lengthy time, requires a strong fit of both skill and culture, and is a significant financial investment. Creating a high performance recruiting program is a critical next step for administrators.”

CORRECTION 10/27/2021: A previous version of this article had the incorrect title of the white paper. Article has been updated with the correct title.