The American College of Surgeons (ACS) is committed to the health and well-being of surgeons and the health care community. During the Coronavirus Disease (2019) COVID-19 pandemic, it is important to create space to care for oneself amidst the increased demands of caring for patients, providing additional support to hospital systems and staff, managing workload, and navigating the impact COVID-19 has on individuals, families, communities, hospitals, and our world.

ACS encourages you to take advantage of the curated resources and tools focused on well-being below. 

Tips

• Check with your hospital or practice to see if an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is available for any additional support. EAPs typically include assessments, counseling, and referrals for additional services to employees with personal and/or work-related concerns, such as stress, financial issues, legal issues, family problems, office conflicts, and alcohol and substance abuse.
• Use support systems in place, such as reaching out to mentors, peers, colleagues, significant others, family, and friends.
• Remind yourself of the signs and symptoms of stress, fatigue, and burnout:
• • Exhaustion
  • Depersonalization
  • Lack of efficacy

Resources and Tools

• ACS Surgeon Well-Being Index—ACS offers this as a free resource to Fellows, Associate Fellows, and resident surgeons in the United States and Canada. Source: ACS
• Seven things you can do today to help improve your mental health amidst COVID-19. Source: University of Alabama at Birmingham, School of Medicine, Department of Surgery
• Sustaining the Well-Being of Healthcare Personnel during Coronavirus and Other Infection Disease Outbreaks. Source: Center for Study of Traumatic Stress
• Emergency Responders: Tips for taking care of yourself. Source: CDC
• Develop a buddy system: Share in safety and well-being of peers. Source: CDC

Recommendations for Health Care Administrators

The Well-Being Index Team offers ideas for health care administrators to consider implementing to reduce stress. Applying some or all of them will substantially increase the overall well-being of your staff.

• Offer living accommodations for ICU/ER physicians who live with a vulnerable family member, so they do not have to go home (e.g., on-campus, hotel).
• Provide meal credit (e.g., Uber eats, delivery) for those working extra shifts or unanticipated overtime.
• Make dictation and transcription services available to all in the ICU/hospital/ER.
• Redeploy health care workers with known health conditions that place them at elevated risk for complications should they contract COVID-19 to other settings.  
• Require workers to take breaks to recharge and encourage adequate time off between shifts.
• Halt all required online modules and non-essential tasks.
• Provide taxi and ridesharing fare reimbursement to all employees directly engaged in COVID-19 efforts.

Source: The Well-Being Index

If you need more guidance or information, please reach out to Kathleen McCann or Jenny Mohan.