The healthcare industry is facing a time of strategic change and challenges. As leaders, we must realistically, yet optimistically, help our staff to adjust to change and to create innovative ways to provide services. We can achieve this by nurturing employees' resilience and coping skills so that they can continue to provide the best service, care, and compassion, while still experiencing satisfaction and accomplishment.
Here are 3 ways your can to bring RESILIENCE into your work environment.
- Show a video at one of your staff meetings - "Building Resilience: Turning Challenges into Success," highlights tools to help achieve personal happiness and productivity despite life's changes and challenges. This 23-minute video shows employees how they can maintain and/or improve their well-being through their attitudes, skills, and healthy lifestyle choices.
- Use the Vanderbilt Health & Wellness Resilience Toolkit – Using this collection of articles and resources, a manager can emphasize one component or skill set as a theme of a staff meeting, unit board, or newsletter.
- Departmental Skill Building Training – Invite a Work/Life Connections-EAP Counselor to present on some aspect of employee well-being as a way to develop rapport and morale. In addition, employees learn about the resources available to help them achieve better psychological resilience.
Managers can choose topics such as one or more of the following:
- Stress, Compassion Fatigue, Burnout and YOU! -Those who work in healthcare are often exposed to emotionally-charged situations. Left unchecked, this can take its toll. The issue is not the amount of stress you have but how well you can cope with it. There are several "stress protectors" that can combat against compassion fatigue and burnout, and these help employees to bounce back more quickly when experiencing stress.
Instructor: Jim Kendall, LCSW CEAP - Change and Resilience -Change is a stressor that alters our equilibrium. While sometimes positive or needed, change also represents loss and the need for adjustments. Learning to be "change-proficient" can help employees be more resilient.
Instructor: Jim Kendall, LCSW CEAP - Stress Resilience in Uncertain Times - Since life surprises us with ups-and-downs, we need to maintain a lifestyle that allows us to bounce back. Employees will learn how to be resilient in the face of reality.
Instructor: Jim Kendall, LCSW CEAP - Removing Roadblocks to Change -What keeps us from adapting to change? This presentation will help employees identify six roadblocks to change and ways to remove these barriers.
Instructor: Janet McCutchen, LPC CEAP - Managing Conflict with Assertiveness - Conflict can be a source of growth, if managed well. Help employees learn about their conflict management style and how to respond, effectively.
Instructor: Janet McCutchen, LPC, CEAP - Building the Civilized Workplace: It Starts with ME! -Each of us has a responsibility to create and maintain a civilized workplace that promotes a positive work environment. Learn how employees can help to create a civilized and productive workplace.
Instructor: Margie Gale, RN, MSN,CEAP - Encountering Distressed Customers -We deal with all kinds of people, often at their most vulnerable time. Some are kind and appreciative; others are abusive and hostile. This workshop is designed to help front line staff understand and defuse these situations before they get out of hand.
Instructor: Jim Kendall, LCSW CEAP
Work/Life Connections-EAP provides psychological support to the Vanderbilt faculty and staff through performance coaching, consultation, assessments, community referrals, and brief counseling. For a confidential appointment call 615-936-1327.
