CLINICIAN  BURN-OUT

            Suicide. Divorce. Drugs. Child abuse. Clinicians are transported daily into the horrors of the nightly news.  Throw in managed care, fear of lawsuits, and fierce competition, and even good providers succumb to burn-out. Would you recognize burn-out in your own life? Let's take a look at this destructive, and unfortunately popular, phenomenon.

EARLY WARNING SIGNS

            You're more at risk if you are:  Type A, perfectionistic, first born, unable to set appropriate boundaries and say "no" when the day is full, unskilled at delegating or asking for help, or continuously giving emotional support without refueling with supportive relationships. Burn-out usually occurs slowly, manifesting itself physically through fatigue, depressed immune functioning, or symptoms such as backaches which force you to slow down. Feelings of being overwhelmed or out of control, reduction in motivation, quality or quantity of work, or a false belief that you're accomplishing less can indicate burn-out.

PREVENTING  BURN-OUT

            Examining your initial professional goals may be the most important weapon in preventing burn-out. Did you desire a small, stable, well-respected practice and more time with your family? Or did you dream of 'Oprah' and book deals? Burn-out is inevitable when your day is swallowed up by everything except that which is most important to you. Secondly, consider seeing a variety of clients, instead of over-specializing into boredom. You may even design your schedule to scatter difficult clients amongst those you find more enjoyable. Educating your office staff on scheduling diversity makes for a more pleasant and productive day.             

             Remain teachable. Seeking new information energizes your mind and provides increasingly better care. Practice what you preach about healthy living, assertiveness, and stress management.  Many helping professionals give to the point of having nothing left, and clients quickly detect hollow, hypocritical words. Then there's managed care. Scrambling for more time, more clients, and less paperwork has become a large part of a clinician's day. If you have no business training, hire and delegate. Or take a local business or marketing course. Ensure efficient marketing efforts by periodically evaluating what produces results. If you've lost your sense of purpose and energy for private practice, segue into corporate training, writing, administration, etc.

                Finally, remember the balance. Play some each day. Work some. Laugh and cry some. Learn to paint if you're left brained, or accounting if you're right. Burn-out feeds on fear and ignorance, but can be eliminated by realizing there are always options. 

Contact Johntz Presentations today and

put PsychTools to work for your organization's success.