Private practice burnout can affect physicians, nurse practitioners, other providers, and anyone in your support staff. When one person (or more) starts to suffer from burnout, everyone pays the consequences. Notably, the reasons physicians enter into private practices, including having more autonomy and control over their environment and for personal growth, are some of the same areas to focus on when dealing with burnout.

Whether you are just starting out or already dealing with burnout issues, it is essential to take the time now to learn good strategies for dealing with burnout in private practice settings. With these tips and strategies—and the right tools and support—you can keep your practice at its best and continue to care for your patients the way they deserve.

Research

Many private practices offer the same services. By investing and engaging in new research, you can help establish long-term goals and distinguish yourself from others. Becoming a clinical researcher or supplementing your practice with research can be daunting. But it can provide incredible benefits to you and your patients. 

For example, most psychiatric practices offer traditional psychotherapy and antidepressants. However, advances in technology have offered lesser-known solutions. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is an increasingly popular technology that has shown promising effects in combating major depression, literally using magnetic pulses to stimulate activity in the brain. This type of investment in tech has helped to distinguish private psychiatric practices, staying on the cutting edge.

Investing in research helps boost your confidence and continuously gives you new goals to work towards. You may get early access to exciting new treatment alternatives, which you can offer to your patients—often at no cost. This is yet another effective way to engage with your community and break the day-to-day turning of the wheel.

Take Tangible Steps to Create the Environment You Want

No two practices are the same. Some have higher turnover. Some have dwindling patient pools. No matter the state of your practice, there are tangible steps you can take to effect positive change in your environment.

Employee satisfaction is particularly important in the private practice sector. Your practice is likely smaller than the larger corporate/federally qualified centers. You cannot afford drops in productivity or high turnover rates. Taking time to address the state of the practice can reap immeasurable benefits in the future and immediate mental health benefits now. 

Interview your staff, talk to your colleagues, take measures of what is working and what is not. Making changes is not admitting fault; it’s establishing goals and the opportunity for growth. Take the time to break away from the day-to-day and establish some immediate, monthly goals and more general goals for the future.

Clear the Administrative Burden Hurdles

Working smarter, with the right strategies and tools at your disposal, will allow your employees to focus on the things they love and the reasons they joined private practice. Administrative work, from record-keeping to billing, can unnecessarily bog you and your staff down. Advances in software technology have helped to streamline these issues, allowing you to be more efficient and cost-effective. Glenwood Systems has developed unparalleled solutions for attacking these issues.

Invest in Research or Focus on Larger Projects

Your practice is more than the building you work in. Engaging with your community, such as by improving your web presence and investing in new research, can help distinguish you and your practice as leaders in your area. This type of growth and service helps to curb, mitigate, and prevent burnout.

As caregivers, you are a crucial part of your community. You have the opportunity and privilege to engage with it. Doing so will cut through the routine and help you feel like you are growing. Establishing a web presence is one easy way to engage. If you do not have a website, get one. If you or others feel it is outdated, invest in updating it. Prospective patients often seek out care by searching online. Put your best foot forward and build a website that concisely shows your mission and who you are. Include photographs and personalized videos of your healthcare providers. Engage on social media, garner reviews. 

Establishing your web presence is good for business, but it is also good for your and your group’s state of mind. It helps expand the walls. Of course, there are countless other ways to engage with the community, including physical events, publishing content to spread knowledge, and investing in new and exciting research to offer.

The Modern Patient

Modern times mean modern technology. Adapting to changes in healthcare means keeping up with internal software solutions. As time passes, more practices will be utilizing advanced technology, possibly leaving you trailing behind. So many of the problems your practice may be facing, from long hours and high turnover to decreased morale, could be fixed by utilizing the most advanced tools available. 

Focus on Learning

By cutting through administrative tasks and improving efficiency, you will not only have an opportunity to focus on patient care and new research, but you will also have an opportunity to focus on learning and self-improvement as a practitioner. Again, this can be done by keeping up with current trends in technology and medicine. However, you and your staff can also look into new certifications, seminars, and other learning opportunities that will make you operate as a better provider and staff. 

You have your foundation of knowledge and experience. But doing the same thing every day without simultaneously trying to improve and grow is a disservice to you and your patients. By streamlining your practice, you have the time to elevate your knowledge base and intelligence as a whole. You can establish yourself and your practice as leaders of your community. That type of growth will curb burnout for years to come.