Avoiding Burnout

All allied health professionals are higher risk of burn out from a variety of causes. Burn out can encroach very slowly but the effects long lasting and cause changes to our professional and personal life.

Early Signs can look like the following:

• Poor sleep

• Drinking excessively on the weekends or relying on

  alcohol after work to wind down

• Feeling on edge

• Snapping at patients, friends, colleagues or partner

• Brain fog

• Not wanting to continue hobbies outside of work

• Decreased empathy

• Decrease work ethic and output

• Dreading coming to work

• Sleeping all weekend

• Avoiding self-care

At RX Physiotherapy we have strategies in place to avoid such events from occurring. These include:

• Capping agreed upon weekly appointments

• Blocking out diary once said numbers have been reached

• Open door policy:

  • Speak with your supervisor if you feel like your current load is too high and needs to be adjusted

  • Changing of roster could also be discussed

  • Regular debriefs outside of mentoring time for emotional draining patients

  • Flexible roster, so long as discussed with supervisor prior shifting hours From slow day towards end of week can be done as long as rooms are available

• Free gym membership and recovery rooms

Your Strategies

Although we can only account for so much and certain strategies must be undertaken by the practitioner also. This is obviously highly individualised but the following are supported by research and anecdotal experiences by staff also:

• Regular sleep pattern

• Avoiding doing work from home

• Meditation

• Mindfullness

• Journaling

• Regular exercise and sunlight

• Avoiding excessive caffine intake

• Non-physio based hobbies

• Reach out to colleagues or supervisor to debrief