To keep a medical facility running smoothly and provide the best patient care, every employee’s job satisfaction and happiness at work are critical. In this blog post, TinkBird Healthcare Staffing suggests seven ways to boost your medical staff morale and improve the work culture in your healthcare practice.

1) Be empathetic

Healthcare providers are taught to be empathetic when discussing ongoing health issues or delivering a diagnosis to patients. However, empathy also needs to exist among coworkers within your facility or healthcare practice.

Daily events at a hospital can cause stress and burnout for your advanced practitioners. Empathy can go a long way in boosting morale in the healthcare industry. A medical work team that is comforting and empathic to one another will result in happier providers and ultimately an improved patient experience.

According to Harvard Medical School, creating a workplace culture based on empathy “starts at the top” with “senior leaders,” and it should be present in recruitment, hiring, onboarding and rewarding current employees.

2) Invest in employee success

One way to boost healthcare provider morale and improve retention is by making it clear you care about each person’s success. This will impact how providers view their role.

For example, a nurse practitioner who does not feel supported may view their job as merely a means to an end. Conversely, a provider who sees a clear path for development will view it as a career.

Consider holding regular check-ins to discuss career progress with advanced practitioners in your healthcare organization. Provide continuous training and educational opportunities, and encourage providers to grow professionally by getting new certifications and applying for open internal positions.

3) Be open to feedback

Those who lead a medical practice or a hospital’s human resources department should never assume that their perception is reality. Every staff member experiences the work environment in their own way.

According to a report by the Society for Human Resource Management, “87% of engaged employees have an exceptionally positive view of their organization’s culture.” These positive feelings not only help to boost medical practice morale but will also make your facility more competitive in hiring and retaining people.

Encourage employees to provide anonymous feedback through surveys and show how that feedback is implemented. This will help build trust that their feedback is valuable. One-on-one and team meetings can also generate productive discussions about working conditions and workplace culture.

4) Encourage personalized management styles

Healthcare practitioners have varied training, experience and personalities, so no two providers are the same. This means not every doctor or PA responds to the same management style.

Furthermore, your future medical facility staff will primarily be comprised of millennials and Gen Z providers, as experienced doctors prepare to retire. Consistent job trends show that younger employees are less likely to tolerate management styles with which they clash, even if stability or benefits are provided.

Therefore, it is important to consider what each employee needs. One physician might work well independently, while a different provider could feel isolated without regular meetings with their manager.

5) Be flexible with scheduling and PTO

Offering flexible work schedules and a generous PTO policy can have multiple benefits for your practice, including boosting medical staff morale.

Burnout among healthcare workers is extremely common. Offering flexible hours that allow them to maintain a work-life balance and providing ample paid time off to recharge can help combat that. These strategies can also help with recruitment efforts and make your practice more competitive for future providers.

6) Communicate with transparency

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, people are more sensitive to and anxious about uncertainty. Because healthcare can be a high-stress profession, maintaining high morale in a medical work setting can be even more challenging.

To help your providers feel secure and appreciated in their roles, practice managers and human resources should be transparent about:

• The provider’s job expectations
• Department needs
• Facility processes
• The organization’s successes and failures
• The organization’s financial goals

Implementing transparency in these areas can help create an environment of trust, which can increase healthcare staff satisfaction.

Furthermore, pay transparency is becoming increasingly important in the healthcare industry. In addition to attracting talented practitioners during the recruitment process, employees who know they are earning an equitable salary often experience high levels of job satisfaction.

If your organization does not currently publish pay ranges for specific roles, consider collaborating with your human resources department to implement pay transparency.

7) Make workdays fun

Some people thrive with routine, while others need more excitement during the day. Healthcare staff morale can benefit from making workdays different without completely disrupting day-to-day workflows.

Celebrate employee accomplishments, such as promotions, workplace anniversaries and birthdays, to make employees feel genuinely appreciated. Offer occasional dessert or coffee bars, potluck lunches or themed holiday parties to provide a break in routine and give your providers and their staff a chance to bond.

Improve medical staff morale with quality healthcare staffing

First, always keep your eye on employee retention. Pay attention to the morale of existing providers to prevent turnover among current employees due to burnout or misplaced trust.

When searching for new doctors and physician assistants to join your practice, TinkBird Healthcare Staffing can help. As a leading national staffing agency, we place advanced practitioners in medical facilities, resulting in a positive medical staffing experience.

Our team is equipped to address and improve your healthcare staffing challenges. Contact us today to learn more about how we match locum tenens doctors, physician assistants and nurse practitioners for you!

Read more advice on how to improve your healthcare workplace.