Hi, my name is Marilia Diaz, I am a nurse from San Juan, Puerto Rico, and today I will be talking about retaining your team staffing and satisfaction. I have no conflict of interest for this presentation. The objectives for this conference are identify some reasons why healthcare professionals are quitting, list the signs of burnout, value the need to do something, and identify ways in which we can build resilience. We have all seen these pictures before. COVID-19 changed lives in many ways, but especially to healthcare workers. There was a need for all of these professionals before the pandemic, and after it is even worse. But why there is such a shortage of healthcare professionals? Well, there is prolonged and excessive workload, denial of vacation time during the first year of the pandemic, and even in the second year of the pandemic, and the emotional burden. High patient death rate, taking care of too many patients at once, not being able to give high-quality care we were used to, losing co-workers, family members, and friends, and just imagine if you have to give CPR to someone you love, knowing they will not make it. Last year, in a survey among nurses in the U.S., 50% of them said that they will leave their position within six months. They also reported more than a 300% increase in just one year for self-reported burnout. Their intent to leave was driven by mental health, staffing, and organizational issues. In the U.K., a survey showed that 45% of the healthcare professionals probably had depression, PTSD, severe anxiety, or problems with drinking. By March 2020, we were considered heroes, but now it's completely different. Now we are the villains, in part because we didn't let families to be in the ICU with the patients that were in isolation. But now, I don't even know why we are still the bad guys. And that does not help us in our shortage of staff. We are overwhelmed. We are stressed. We have too many patients to take care of. And that shortage increases our burnout. But what are the signs of burnout? Well, fatigue. We don't want to go to work. There are some days that people tell me that they are sitting in their car in the parking lot at the hospital and they don't even want to get out of their car. They don't feel appreciated and they are constantly overworked. But what if we don't do anything at all? There is definitely going to be burnout. People will just be quitting. There's going to be work, work, overwork, over more work. At the end, it will be too much work to do. And people will just be tired of all of that work. We will bring in new staff into the unit, but precepting and mentoring, combined with all the heavy work we have to do, can just amplify and accelerate the burnout. Our experienced staff will be sad and tired, and it will lead the new staff to just leave. And everybody will be in a burnout. So we need a new mindset. We want different results, so we need to think what we can do to help our staff. So what can we do to prevent burnout? Well, just be there for each other. Everybody needs solid relationships inside the workplace and also at home. Having someone to talk to about how we feel. Get enough sleep. It can improve alertness, concentration, stamina, mood, and motivation. Care for your mental and physical health. Take time off when you need it. And try to exercise daily. It's okay to say no to work overtime. And have some training in resilience. Resilience can be developed having the right attitude about self-pity, guilt, and the victim mindset. Try speaking to yourself and reminding you how strong you are to handle life's changes. Be aware. Understand how you feel and why you feel that way. You have to avoid those negative emotions. Knowing the origin of your feelings will help you understand what you have to change. Practice self-control. You cannot control some circumstances, but you can control the way you respond to them. Cultivate optimism. As my friend Timon and Pumbaa says, Hakuna Matata. And remember that it means no worries. Strengthen your social ties. With a strong and supportive social network, you will be better prepared to cope with challenges, deal with stress, and be a healthier and happier person. Have a sense of humor. Those who can laugh in the face of adversity are less stressed and better prepared to cope with the difficulties. Do some exercise. Remember what Elwood says, exercise gives you endorphins, endorphins makes you happy. So there you have it. Develop your spiritual side. Do yoga, meditate, pray, whatever helps you is the best thing you can do. And remember, don't give up. Never stop working to achieve your goals. We can't retain our staff. We have to respect them, to value them. We need to promote teamwork, empowerment, create a recognition program. It doesn't have to cost you a lot of money, and sometimes you have to increase their salaries. Thank you so much for your time. Hope you enjoyed this presentation.

Marilia Diaz

nurse

San Juan

Puerto Rico

healthcare professionals