Radiology Burnout Is a Threat to Wellness—Here’s What Leaders Can Do

A new year is the perfect time to focus on wellness. That may include forming better, healthier habits that improve physical health and quality of life. It may also mean fixing or removing things that detract from wellness.

Wellness may look different for everyone. For the medical community, taking burnout seriously should become a big part of wellness.

Provider burnout has become a serious threat to wellness. It can damage work and personal relationships, reduce productivity, and lead to medical errors that put patients at risk. If burnout gets bad enough, providers may simply quit their jobs, potentially creating healthcare shortages.

Unfortunately, radiologists are no exception to the rise in physician burnout. This has left many radiologists feeling apathetic about their careers.

This was the focus of a session at RSNA 2021: “Engaging the Mid-career Radiologist: Challenges, Retention, and Opportunities." Experts on a panel noted that advanced imaging technology has led to higher volume, at the same time radiology departments are understaffed. Radiology leaders who want to retain mid- or late-career radiologists should be aware of these issues.

Some of the recommendations from the panel include:

• Work to hire additional staffing to take the burden off providers.
• Be aware that late-career disengagement is common in many professions.
• Recognize radiologists for achievements like compassionate care or mentoring other providers, not just academic or financial performance.
• Encourage connection between professionals so they can remind each other of their values and contributions.

In an article published by RSNA earlier in 2021, radiology experts encourage providers and organizations to make wellness a priority. This means discussing potential issues and investing time and money in finding solutions. Radiology leadership should actively promote changes that encourage provider wellness.

Preventing burnout and promoting wellness for radiologists often means learning to work smarter, not harder. That’s why we offer flexible imaging and practice management options that meet your needs, creating a better experience for your providers and patients.

Ready to learn more about Novarad’s imaging solutions? Get in touch with us and request a demo today!