Overwork and stress are two common symptoms associated with burnout, which can occur to a worker of any occupation. But for hospital staff, burnout can be the hardest to deal with, and its consequences can be the gravest.
Doctors, nurses and surgeons struggling with substance abuse is not an unheard-of phenomenon in hospitals in Van Nuys and all across Los Angeles. Many medical professionals turn to alcohol and drugs in the hopes of overcoming stressful on-the-job experiences.
If you think about it, hospital staff is more prone to experiencing burnout compared to all other occupations, as medical professionals are dealing with trauma on an everyday basis.
Within 24 hours, a doctor could lose a patient to a terminal disease, perform a surgery on a severely injured child, and on top of that, talk to family members of those whose loved ones have died or are in critical condition.
These kinds of events are not only painful for the patients and their families, but also the doctors, hospital staff and caregivers who treat them, our skilled mental health claims attorneys at Koszdin, Fields & Sherry explain.
Severe consequences of hospital staff burnout
Studies have shown that employees who regularly deal with trauma in the workplace may face such mental health issues as anxiety and depression. Not to mention that emotional trauma and distress can lead to substance abuse and other coping behaviors.
Fact: studies have shown incredible similarities between symptoms in people dealing with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after suffering a traumatic experience and medical professionals who spend years in stressful situations at work.
The problem of hospital staff burnout caused by witnessing the scariest moments of people’s lives on an everyday basis has been recognized by international organizations.
The U.S. Department of Justice, for example, set up a Vicarious Trauma Toolkit that helps hospital staff to deal with work-related trauma experienced by first responders, doctors and other workers who work with victims of mass shootings, car accidents, terror attacks, and other tragedies.
Fact #2: vicarious trauma causes employees to be aggressive, frightened, hopeless, depressed and fatigued.
How to deal with burnout at work?
As an increasing number of medical professionals experiencing burnout caused by work-related trauma has prompted many hospitals in Van Nuys and across the U.S. to set up programs that help educate hospital staff about stressful on-the-job experiences and ways to deal with them.
Some programs host regular meetings for hospital staff to help them vent their frustrations and struggles as well as share their stressful on-the-job experiences with colleagues.
Under other programs that help caregivers handle witnessing horrible injuries and deaths on an everyday basis, medical professionals can call a trained hospital staff member – often a psychologist – who brings water, tea and cookies to help the distressed caregiver process his/her negative feelings and frustrations.
Here at Koszdin, Fields & Sherry, our Van Nuys mental health claims attorneys have helped hundreds of medical professionals deal with burnout and, if necessary, pursue a workers’ compensation claim to seek damages for work-related mental health impairments.
Seeking workers’ compensation for mental health impairments
No matter how tough you think you are, seeing an enormous number of deaths and injuries as part of your duties doesn’t make you immune to loss. Compassion fatigue, a phenomenon that describes medical professionals becoming less compassionate over time, is not unheard of among hospital staff dealing with burnout.
If you believe that stressful on-the-job experiences and work-related trauma have taken a toll on your mental health, seek immediate legal help from one of our best mental health claims lawyers in Van Nuys to discuss your legal options.
Mental health impairments and physical injuries are both covered by workers’ compensation, which means you may be able to obtain compensation for work-related burnout.
Consult experienced attorneys by calling our Van Nuys offices at 818-812-5639 or (toll free) 800-747-3447 or complete this contact form to get a free initial consultation
