Health care workers are experiencing a mental health crisis, according to a new report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this week. Those surveyed said harassment and burnout happen more frequently.
“Workers and health-related professions have historically faced long work hours, often with unpredictable or rotating schedules, or like what I experienced as an emergency physician, working overnights and on holidays,” said Dr. Debra Houry, the CDC’s chief medical officer.
The report notes the number of health care workers reporting harassment at work doubled from 2018 to 2022. Nearly half of those surveyed said burnout happened "often or very often," up from 32% in 2018. More health workers are considering leaving, with 44% — up from 33% in 2021 — planning to look for a new job.
“Nurses have a really hard job — I don't know if the public knows that — and a lot of times we forget to nurse ourselves,” said Nikki Avey, a registered nurse with Kaiser San Diego and a union officer for 2,800 local nurses. “I just feel like it’s a really trying time right now and I’m kind of worried.”
CDC officials said the pandemic has worsened the situation, with burnout reaching “crisis levels.” Avey agreed and said the pandemic has had a lasting impact.
“I’ve heard nurses — I've seen nurses — leave the bedside and the frontlines and want to go somewhere else just because it was just too much,” Avey said. “Their anxiety was up or their depression was really hitting them hard. The burnout is real.”
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health launched a campaign to help employers change working conditions to improve employee mental health. Judy Davidson, a UC San Diego Health nurse scientist, said health care leaders need to pay attention and employee assistance programs that benefit everyone are key.
“Wellness programs need to be distributed equitably across the power axis,” Davidson said. “So that people with the least amount of power in the organization also have robust wellness programs.”
Davidson said harassment can come in different forms: violence from patients or guests and workplace bullying. She said ensuring organizations have enough resources, like adequate staffing, could reduce bullying. Davidson’s research has also shown as many as one-third of employees who report burnout may also have clinical depression.
“So the take-home message here is that if you’re seeing someone who’s burned out in the workplace, you may also be seeing someone who would benefit from mental health treatment,” Davidson said. “Left untreated, clinical depression can lead to suicide so this is a really important issue to address when looking at burnout — they cannot be looked at separately in isolation from each other.”
UCSD Health and other local systems have programs aimed at helping staff with stress or mental health concerns. Scripps Health officials said they have a “robust” in-house employee assistance program, including 24/7 peer support specialists. Sharp Healthcare rolled out a peer-support model in 2021, which includes regular check-ins and referrals to other care if necessary.
“Having that onsite navigator that can respond to things immediately has a huge influence in terms of just being able to allow employees to feel seen, to feel like what’s going on with them matters and we can work with them on a plan to get them connected to resources,” said Lindsay Damoose, a marriage and family therapist at Sharp HealthCare.
Damoose runs the “stress first aid” program at Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center. She said she is available to staff experiencing mental health challenges.
“We’ve seen there’s such a significant difference as far as how employees are receptive to that when they’re in the midst of their acute stress,” Damoose said. “That they’re much more apt to convey what’s going on for them and to be open to that immediate support.”
The CDC report said positive working conditions like trust in management and help from supervisors were associated with less burnout and less likelihood of poor mental health.
