While physician burnout continues to be a challenge and drives experienced physicians away from practicing medicine, health systems are searching for deeper-reaching solutions that complement, but go beyond well-being initiatives and resilience training.
A study led by the AMA published in JAMA Network Open suggests a strong relationship between burnout and a physician’s sense of belonging within their organization. The study authors reported that physicians who felt a stronger sense of belonging were significantly less likely to experience burnout, reduce their clinical hours or consider leaving their organization.
For Baptist Health, these findings reinforce the organization’s efforts to create a culture where physicians feel heard, valued and strongly connected to one another.
“Recognizing that belonging is so intimately tied to burnout is both a challenge and an opportunity for health systems,” said Shawn C. Jones, MD, an otolaryngologist and medical director of provider wellness for Baptist Health Medical Group.
Baptist Health Medical Group is part of the AMA Health System Member Program, which provides enterprise solutions to equip leadership, physicians and care teams with resources to help drive the future of medicine.
Beyond workplace satisfaction
The study findings suggest that building a culture that fosters belonging and teammate support can benefit physicians, care teams, patients and organizations as a whole. In fact, the study explicitly concluded that, “Organizations should prioritize belonging and teammate support in their efforts to improve culture, work environment and physician well-being.”
“Since 2008, the average age of those who leave clinical practice has dropped from 57 to 48,” shared Dr. Jones. “That’s alarming when you think about what that means for the future of healthcare practitioners. We really need to work on belonging so we can keep those who we’ve trained in practice longer.”
Nearly two-thirds of the study participants said they had a strong sense of belonging within their organization. Some of the most significant drivers of belonging were teamwork and support. In fact, four out of five who reported a strong sense of belonging felt their teammates “have their back.” These participants also reported a lower risk of burnout overall.
At the same time, though, nearly four out of 10 physicians in the study did not feel a strong sense of belonging in their organization. The study also found that there was a significant difference in a sense of belonging among certain groups. Specifically, those who were less likely to report a sense of belonging included women physicians, doctors within surgery, physicians who have been practicing for more than five years and those who did not disclose their sex, race or ethnicity.
Together, these findings suggest that investing in belonging can have long-term benefits for mitigating burnout and improving physician retention. And the study authors encouraged organizations to develop or enhance opportunities for these specific groups, while continuing to build people-focused policies, collaborative teams and workplace support systems.
For Dr. Jones, building a foundation of trust is central to these efforts.
“You need trust within your organization for people to have a sense of belonging and to create a culture where belonging is important,” he said.
Barriers and risks to belonging
However, modern medicine presents several new challenges to building a sense of belonging. While the advent of EHRs, advanced technologies, and augmented intelligence (AI) have brought many benefits to both patients and physicians, they have also changed the way doctors interact and connect with each other and their patients.
“Medicine has evolved to have the potential to feel isolated, with doctors working more with instruments, computers, and those things rather than having connections with human beings,” said Dr. Jones.
And when physicians feel disconnected from colleagues, engagement often declines. This then can create a ripple effect throughout an organization as communication between physicians and other health professionals suffers, emotional exhaustion grows and, ultimately, the risk of burnout increases.
As the leader in physician well-being, the AMA provides organizational solutions that help physicians and health systems optimize practice efficiency, reduce burnout, and rediscover the Joy in Medicine®.
Build belonging through listening
To cultivate belonging into organizational culture, Dr. Jones believes leaders must take intentional steps to help physicians feel valued, heard and respected.
“Physicians want to feel like their work is important and that people recognize it,” he said. “They want to know they have a place to go and colleagues they can trust if they are facing a stressful situation or a case that they are having difficulty with.”
Listening to physicians improves more than just morale. It often leads to better patient care, which lifts the entire organization.
“Listen to your physicians and trust that they have the best interest of the patients foremost in their minds,” Dr. Jones recommended. “Doing what is important for physicians to do their jobs effectively is going to be the best thing for any organization.”
To do this, Baptist Health has built multiple pathways and created opportunities for physicians to share feedback and concerns before frustrations boil over. Leadership uses physician surveys to keep their finger on the pulse of what physicians are thinking and feeling, while also identifying pain points across the organization.
Baptist Health also launched leadership listening campaigns, giving physicians regular opportunities for face-to-face conversations and in-depth discussion with Baptist Health’s chief medical officer. Those conversations then extend to the frontlines through well-being champions who are stationed at each Baptist Health location.
“Our wellness champions help our clinical teams know that someone is always nearby if they need something or have a question,” Dr. Jones said. “It’s a feedback loop that is closer to the boots on the ground.”
These efforts have gone a long way in building trust throughout the organization, with physicians playing a pivotal role in shaping the culture and making their impact on everyday life within Baptist Health.
Enhance partnership and engagement
Of course, building a sense of belonging does not mean that every physician gets what they want every time.
“It isn’t always about feeling that you get what you want, rather that you’ve been listened to,” Dr. Jones said. “If you feel valued and listened to, you trust those who are in leadership.”
That trust and transparency then make difficult conversations and decisions feel more like a partnership, particularly when leaders cannot accommodate every request.
“If you don’t get what you want, the reason is open, honest and effectively communicated, which makes it more palatable,” Dr. Jones explained.
At Baptist Health, these efforts to build belonging continue to pay off. In fact, Dr. Jones noted that when done right, boosting that sense of belonging leads to a higher level of engagement and pride in the organization and its goals.
“We have people willing to join committees and be involved in the work of the organization,” Dr. Jones said. “They also feel more connected to the mission and values of the organization.”
As physician shortages and burnout continue, building a culture where doctors feel heard, trusted and connected can improve their sense of belonging. This not only benefits physician well-being, but also expands into strengthening workplace culture, retention and performance long-term.
AMA STEPS Forward® offers real-world solutions to common challenges in healthcare today. Explore a variety of innovative, physician-developed resources designed to help prevent physician burnout, optimize workflows, improve well-being and enhance patient care.
