In a direct response to the national crisis of health care worker burnout—a condition reported by 46% of health care workers—Rutgers Health recently hosted its inaugural Well-Being in Healthcare Summit. The event gathered over 120 leaders from more than 18 organizations to implement evidence-based strategies for improving provider well-being.
The summit, directed by Reka Somodi, Rutgers Health’s senior director for the promotion of well-being, aimed to equip students, faculty, and staff with tools to manage stress, prevent burnout, and foster a sustainable culture of care across the health system.
Somodi detailed the multifaceted challenges contributing to the crisis, noting that the issue goes far beyond individual stress management.
Key Factors Affecting Well-Being:
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Administrative Burden: Excessive time spent on electronic health records (EHRs), often called “pajama time,” encroaches on personal time and causes work-life imbalance.
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Workload: Chronic occupational stress resulting from inadequate staffing and excessive patient loads.
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Physiological Toll: Long hours and circadian imbalances, with night shift work described by the World Health Organization as an oncologic risk factor due to chronic sleep deprivation.
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Emotional Burden: Constant exposure to human suffering, death, high-acuity illness, vicarious trauma, and the threat of litigation.
Rutgers Health approaches workforce well-being as a foundational investment, crucial for system stability amid a predicted nursing shortage of 5.7 million by 2030.
The organization employs the “Eight Dimensions of Wellness” framework developed by Margaret Swarbrick of Rutgers’ ScarletWell program, focusing on system-level change, not just individual resilience.
Current initiatives include:
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Mindfulness and Emotional Intelligence: Implementing programs like “Search Inside Yourself,” which trains clinical and administrative teams on empathy, compassion, and effective leadership communication to create well-functioning organizations.
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Coaching and Support: Piloting coaching programs for faculty and staff tailored to individual goal achievement.
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Technological Streamlining: Exploring artificial intelligence resources to streamline administrative and clinical work processes.
Decades of research supports the system-wide benefits of prioritizing clinician wellness. Somodi noted that investing in well-being directly leads to improved patient outcomes and reduced health care costs.
“Clinicians are more engaged, make fewer medical errors and organizations report lower litigation costs,” she explained. Furthermore, facilities that focus on compassionate leadership training report higher patient satisfaction scores and greater professional fulfillment among employees, resulting in improved teamwork and higher engagement scores.
Somodi emphasized the vital role of academic institutions like Rutgers in providing evidence-based solutions. Rutgers Health leverages data science and participates in the Professional Well-Being Academic Consortium to benchmark strategies nationally.
For instance, after surveys identified poor sleep as a key concern last year, the team launched a successful “Sleep Week” program, now expanding with a keynote speaker secured from NASA. This data-driven approach ensures initiatives directly address the most pressing needs of the workforce.
The institution is also committed to embedding wellness into the core curriculum, using smart design to minimize unnecessary stress and fostering a supportive culture through simple, everyday connections and acts of kindness.
