For radiologic technologist Sara Beedy, working through the COVID pandemic highlighted the neglect that
On Christmas Day, 2020, Beedy's full-time staff role at a Texas hospital went far beyond chest X-rays for COVID patients, as she held their hands, comforted them, and set up a FaceTime call with one patient's family so he could say goodbye to them before passing away. Beedy left her 16-hour shift
"That will always be the worst shift I've ever worked in my life," she says. "I went home after and I bawled my eyes out for hours. There was no mental or emotional support through any of that."
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After three more years of grueling healthcare work within the hospital system, Beedy turned to healthcare marketplace Vivian Health, and switched to contract-based roles as a travel radiologic technologist in May 2023. The schedule works better for her family and pays more, but Beedy says she still struggles to find the support she needs.
"It took the pandemic and then going back to my regular schedule to realize how much of my own life I was putting off because of work," she says. "There is a disconnect between administration and the people that are down in the trenches doing the work. You just have to push it back and go on like it didn't happen."
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Beedy's experience is all too common in her industry, and it's taken a massive toll. Last year's overall burnout rate of healthcare professionals was almost 50%, with higher numbers among nurses (56%) and other clinical staff (54%), according to the National Library of Medicine. In a report from Grant Thornton, 31% of healthcare workers said they were planning to leave their jobs due to lack of feeling valued, and 21% said lack of support for their well-being was driving them to look for employment elsewhere. In an upcoming survey, Vivian Health reports that 46% of healthcare professionals have suffered from clinical depression over the last 12 months.
In addition to providing job resources for healthcare professionals, Vivian Health hopes to address these issues through their free virtual series focused on nutrition, financial wellness, physical health and personal growth for their first Healthcare Professional Wellness Week, which runs from January 7-13.
Rachel Neill, clinical adviser to Vivian Health, says the program is a start to addressing some pervasive issues within the healthcare system. Showing appreciation, and acknowledging the strain healthcare professionals are under, could prevent the current crisis facing the industry from escalating even more.
"The healthcare system is facing a crisis around staffing. On the other end of that, healthcare professionals themselves are frustrated with low wages, poor working conditions and unsafe staffing ratios," Neill says. "We rely on our healthcare professionals, and if [they] are exhausted or burned out, or don't have enough resources, then we know that's going to affect the quality of care."
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The wellness series began on Jan. 7 with a 30-minute session on meditation, and has new events scheduled each day, as well as a sign-up for a mentorship program and registration for prizes and giveaways, before concluding this Saturday. In addition, employers can provide ongoing support to workers in areas such as professional development, which can help lead to job and financial stability, and provide mental health days to give them a chance to recharge.
"Every single one of us has either been a patient or has had a loved one or friend that has been a patient," Neill says. "We know that them leaving the workforce is bad for every single one of us at the end of the day. We need to be focused on the health and well-being of our healthcare providers and keep as many of these incredible people in the industry [as possible]."
For Beedy, recognition of what she's been through as a healthcare professional has made a difference, and her new job helps her achieve a healthier balance and tend to things that fill her own cup, like spending time with her nine-year-old son. Finding that balance was hard-won, but worthwhile, she says.
"I had so much more time to get housework done or to go on a run every day I wasn't working," she says. "[Now] I get to be home and be present while I'm here with my son and my boyfriend. It made me sit down and take care of myself."
