Guidance in Unprecedented Times
As COVID-19 sweeps through America in a deadly second round—that’s really a continuation of the first round—healthcare teams are struggling with patient loads, intense time pressure, limited supplies of PPE, fears for their own safety and that of their families, the daily pain of dealing with large-scale suffering and death and the novel and puzzling nature of the virus itself. Physicians, advanced practitioners and nurses, used to bringing exact knowledge to bear on clinical solutions, struggle with an inability to fully understand a disease that presents so many conundrums and contradictions, resulting in demoralization and a sense of futility.
It adds up to extreme psychological and emotional stress, laid on top of modern medicine’s many “normal” stressors. Healthcare leaders who care about their people know that they need to provide support—and frontline workers badly need support. It can take many forms: a sense that leadership sees and appreciates their work and sacrifice, honesty and transparency about resources, the ability to listen and to hear and act on criticism and direct psychological and emotional help that’s easy and quick to access, whether it be exercise, meditation videos, coaching breaks or pauses in work routines for debriefing and venting.
Leading Your Organization Through COVID-19
In our article “How to Lead Your Organization through COVID-19,” we share insights and recommendations for leadership based on the results of a study on the feelings and needs of frontline healthcare workers and on the bitter—and sometimes sweet—experiences of a physician and certified coach who’s been working in the COVID-19 trenches in New York.
Download our article, How to Lead Your Organization Through COVID-19, to learn more about the value of understanding physicians' struggles, advice on how to cope with stress and fatigue and practical methods on how to assist your healthcare workers during a global pandemic.
