It’s National Physicians Week, a time to celebrate and honor the demanding work doctors put into our communities each and every day. And it’s the perfect opportunity for us here at Floyd Lee Locums to honor our physicians who travel around the world giving attentive and personalized care where it’s needed most.
The goal of National Physicians Week is to celebrate and honor these extraordinary people. But it’s also important to use this week to raise awareness of the struggles medical practitioners experience with burnout and to advocate for the care they need…so they can continue to care for us.
Burnout may be an overused term, but the reality of being a physician means sacrifices that build over time. From mental fatigue to sleep deprivation, these professionals dedicate years of their lives to rigorous training, enormous debt, long hours, and the mounting demands of an evolving healthcare system. The burnout is real. Yet they continue to show up, even in times of enormous upheaval.
Untreated burnout can lead to medical leave, friction at home, and even mistakes with patients. But helping others is the core reason they got into healthcare in the first place. While resources abound for mental health and burnout for those in healthcare, the stigma around seeking help remains.
Add the narrative of hero worship, cape-flying-resiliency, and even being the “backbone of our community” and physicians are pitted against an impossible standard. Many burn the candle down trying to live up to it. Instead of seeking care or confiding in a colleague, the stigma around self-care continues to spiral. This leads them to help others but not themselves.
That’s why here at Floyd Lee Locums, we put so much effort into our concierge approach. We exist to provide physicians with an alternative that keeps them healthy and thriving.
“Thanks Leslie!! I appreciate all the support that you and Floyd Lee Locums has offered in order for me to be able to focus on tasks,” Dr. G, Family Medicine.
We choose to take care of the whole person so that burnout isn’t an inevitable outcome. In every healthcare field, our physicians build careers that are fulfilling both personally and professionally.
It starts by modeling an environment of being grateful. We shower our physicians with thank you notes and gifts and connect with them every chance we get to ask how they are really doing. We take away the stigma by talking about burnout and mental health. We take away the stigma every time we reach out.
By taking care of our doctors, we are building a collaborative environment where they can reciprocate that care to their colleagues. When physicians are cared for and seen no matter what they’re going through, they are automatically more likely to show up for someone else.
Healthy physicians take better care of patient outcomes.
“Thank you for being a such wonderful supportive team, without your efforts we won’t be able to do much,” Dr. M, Hospitalist.
National Physicians Week is a time to pause and thank all the amazing doctors who support us and push for a better healthcare future for everyone. Thank you to all our physicians and practitioners for your invaluable service. We are proud to be your partner and look forward to supporting you in the future.