The very
nature of medical practice means it is inevitable there will be a certain
level of stress, but the critical point as a practice manager is recognising
when this becomes distress. Being able to maintain a healthy
equilibrium and effectively manage your practice depends on how well you care
for your own needs, seek support at difficult times and build up resilience
that will enable you to ride the distressing times.
Running a busy
practice can be demanding and working excessively long hours increases the
potential for error and over time, fatigue can impair your judgement and
ability to cope. This can affect relationships with family, friends and
colleagues as there may not be enough emotional and physical reserve to
sustain healthy relationships. Unfortunately, this may also spill over into how
you relate to the practice’s patients, causing alienation.
When the
burden of occupational stress becomes evident, practice managers, nurses and
support staff should be provided with support systems to assist them.
As
a practice manager, you also need to be especially mindful that doctors are
sometimes poor at taking care of their own welfare, knowing their limits and
keeping on when unwell, and may need extra support.
In Avant’s
experience, medical practitioners in the midst of a particularly stressful
time, whether it is because of personal matters or because of work pressures,
are more vulnerable to mistakes, relating less well to patients or colleagues
and then leaving themselves open to complaints. At such times, it is very
important to urge the medical practitioner to seek support from family,
friends, colleagues, Avant staff or a professional body such as the Doctors’
Health Advisory Service.
Practitioners experiencing the complaints or
litigation process may find it quite distressing and confronting. However,
studies have shown that the long-term effects of complaints and claims are far
less enduring when practitioners are supported through the process.
To
keep your medical practitioners and practice staff happy, healthy and
productive, a key management strategy is to ensure that staff utilise their
leave entitlements during the year, and take at least one break of two to
three weeks in duration.