Health systems are continuing to focus on rebuilding the workforce pipeline post-Covid, especially to engage future clinical leaders. But that’s only half the battle.
In the interim, systems have redoubled efforts towards improving retention and engagement. At a time when half of physicians face burnout, Nebraska Medicine created Leaders CARE (Curious, Authentic, Role Models, Empathetic), a leadership development program that teaches clinicians the skillsets they need to be supportive and effective leaders.
Creating a Culture of Well-Being Through Leadership Development
With the goal of improving retention and minimizing burnout, Nebraska Medicine wanted to reimagine an organizational culture that supports the wellbeing of their physicians.
Based on existing academic research on physician burnout, Nebraska Medicine recognized that successfully building a culture of wellbeing starts with teaching clinical leaders the skills they need to support their teams through professional challenges. Notable research they looked to included:
Better leaders, less burnout: In a study surveying 2,500 physicians, they found that physicians who gave their leaders higher scores recorded lower levels of burnout and a higher likelihood of satisfaction.
Burnout’s financial impact: Another study showed that an estimated $7.6M (from turnover costs and lost revenue from unfilled roles) is lost per year due to physician burnout for an organization with 1000 employed physicians.
Therefore, they launched Leaders CARE (Curious, Authentic, Role Models, Empathetic), a leadership development program with the following components:
Self-care and self-reflection
Strengthening relationships with individuals and teams
Encouraging evidence-based skills that support team wellbeing
Leaders CARE is offered in addition to other external leadership development programs, such as THMA's Physician Leadership Program.
Leaders CARE Program Components
Over a six-month period, a cohort of physician leaders participate in the following:
Self assessment: At the beginning of the program, participants complete a Hogan self assessment that provides insight on their personal leadership style, how they handle stress, and their approach to problem solving.
360 feedback: Participants solicit feedback related to their physician leadership skills. Their confidential report provides feedback on strengths and growth opportunities.
1:1 coaching: A core component of the Leaders CARE program, participants get six 1:1 coaching sessions which are one hour long. Two sessions focus on debriefing a Hogan self-assessment and a 360 assessment, then the other four sessions focus on whatever participants want more coaching on.
Skill building curriculum: Experienced physician leaders designed an interactive skill building curriculum that focused on teaching participants how they can cultivate trust, authenticity and belonging, along with practical tips and skills they can use to improve the well-being of their team.
Peer support: Participants meet with their peers and a group facilitator to discuss a specific leadership challenge. Topic-based questions are used to guide conversation.
Program Results
Lasting peer network: Physician leaders chose to continue meeting with their peer support group after the program ended, creating a lasting support system for physician leaders. Every three months they meet to discuss a leadership challenge and get support from their peer group on how to solve it.
Strong participant satisfaction: 100% of participants said they would recommend the program to their physician colleagues.
Effective leadership skill building: 100% agreed that Leaders CARE increased their understanding of their leadership style and increased their confidence in applying the concepts learned during the program.
Future Plans
The system plans to incorporate a dyad partnership between different clinical leaders (e.g., a clinical medical director and nurse manager) with the goal of building trust with colleagues and setting mutual goals.