Typically, when hospital leaders launch well-being programs, they are aimed at frontline staff. But at Northwell’s Mather Hospital, leaders’ well-being is top of mind.
“When it comes to the strategic thinking behind keeping our leaders sane and supported, the reasoning is pretty self-evident: leaders are expected to support those they lead,” Joseph Ng, MD, vice president and chief medical officer at Port Jefferson, N.Y.-based Mather Hospital and president of Mather Medical Group, said in an upcoming episode of Becker’s “Clinical Leadership Podcast.” “How can they do that when they themselves lack support?”
For leaders, there often is no clear delineation between work and personal life, as many are expected to be on call 24/7, Dr. Ng said. To solve this, Mather Hospital leaders take a work-life integration approach, rather than work-life balance.
Work-life integration looks like fostering social support circles among leaders so they can “get back to [their] family quicker and with less stress,” Dr. Ng said.
“Even when I was a program director, I made it a priority for my residents to spend time with each other outside of work,” he said. “My tagline at the time was, ‘It’s much easier to ask a friend to cover your clinic than it is to ask a colleague.'”
These support circles help leaders adapt to challenges, reduce moral harm and loneliness, and create an environment where leaders can thrive and grow — all of which decreases burnout, according to Dr. Ng.
“Make well-being a leadership priority, not an afterthought,” Dr. Ng said. “When your leaders feel supported and valued, that trickles down to everyone they lead. It improves morale, strengthens your culture, and ultimately leads to better patient care. And at the end of the day, that’s what we’re all here for.”
