Reducing Clinician Burnout at a Regional Health System

SYNOPSIS

A System-Wide Crisis

Following the COVID-19 pandemic and amid a major expansion, a leading regional health system faced severe burnout across its entire workforce. Compassion fatigue, exhaustion, and widespread disengagement were observed not only in care delivery clinicians but across departments—pharmacists, emergency responders, HR professionals, and administrative teams alike.

• 48% of clinicians reported moderate to high burnout levels in internal assessments
• Nursing turnover rates approached 26%, far exceeding historical norms
• Exit interviews consistently identified burnout as the primary driver of staff turnover
• The estimated cost to replace a single clinician ranged from $50,000 to $60,000, creating significant financial strain.

Challenges

Key Stressors:

• Heavy workloads, long hours:
  Nurses worked extended shifts, often under-staffed, leading to physical and emotional exhaustion.
• Staffing shortages:
  High turnover rates, exacerbated by burnout, strained remaining staff.
• Emotional burden:
  Nurses in pediatric care often face emotionally taxing cases, such as terminally ill or critically injured children, leading to compassion fatigue.
• Leadership gaps:
  A perceived lack of transparency and support from leadership further contributed to nurse dissatisfaction and burnout.

Importantly, the burden was not limited to front-line caregivers.
All roles across the organization reported emotional and operational stress.

The Solution

SE Healthcare’s Nurse Burnout Prevention Program

The health system became the first in the country to implement SE Healthcare's Burnout Prevention Program system-wide—for all employees, regardless of role or department. The comprehensive solution included:

1. Burnout Assessments:
   

   Using a validated scale, 970 responses were collected, representing a 23.3% participation rate.  

2. Targeted Microlearning:
   

   Brief educational modules focused on resilience, self-care, and stress management

3. Analytics Dashboards:
   

   Real-time insights to monitor burnout trends across departments, roles, and demographics

4. Leadership Support and Development:
   

   Training on emotional intelligence, communication, and early burnout identification

The Results

After one year of implementation, the organization achieved significant improvements:

20% Overall System-Wide Reduction in Clinician Burnout
Staff Scoring in Moderate-to-High Burnout Dropped from 48% to 38.4%

Burnout Reduction by Role

• Paramedics: 34% reduction (70% ➔ 46%)
• Nurses: 21% reduction (267 respondents)
• Roles with ≥50% burnout declined from nine roles to only five

Departmental Burnout Reduction:

• Medical Staffing Department: 56% reduction
• Transition to Care Department: 60% reduction
• Departments with ≥50% burnout dropped from 16 to 8

Next Steps

Sustainability Strategy

To maintain and build upon this success, SE Healthcare recommended:

• Analytics Dashboards:
  

  Continued use of leadership dashboards to monitor burnout trends across departments

• Targeted Interventions:
  

  Targeted interventions for departments and shifts still experiencing higher burnout

• Improved Leadership Support:
  

  Embedding leadership development into onboarding and performance management

Conclusion

Happier Staff, Healthier Patients