Perspective: Supporting and Thanking the Physicians and Nurses on the Front Lines
1.5 million people. That鈥檚 the approximate number of people that hospitals and health systems have treated for COVID-19 since the pandemic began. To put that in perspective, that would mean filling Chicago鈥檚 Soldier Field to capacity 24 times.
Our physicians, nurses and front-line team members have been caring for those patients and comforting families for more than a year.
Those same physicians and nurses also are playing pivotal roles in the nation鈥檚 efforts to vaccinate America. In addition to administering the life-saving vaccines to individuals, physicians and nurses are helping to educate people about the importance of getting vaccinated and serving as a trusted messenger on these efforts.
Just as we鈥檝e been sharing resources with hospital and health system leaders throughout the pandemic, two of our groups 鈥 the AHA Physician Alliance and (AONL) 鈥 have been developing and sharing resources to support their members and the field overall.
The Physician Alliance recently released its Well-being Playbook 2.0, a resource to help hospital and health system leaders support their teams during the pandemic. It includes curated resources specific to COVID-19 on mental well-being, addressing burnout and operationalizing peer support, as well as a guide to walk leaders through well-being program development and execution.
In addition, the Alliance鈥檚 podcast series Leading during shares experiences and lessons learned as a result of COVID-19.
AONL, which is our national professional organization of more than 10,000 nurse leaders, has developed many resources during the pandemic. AONL鈥檚 Leading Through a Crisis: A offers insights and effective strategies for coping, staying centered, building resilience and leading with integrity amidst challenging circumstances.
AONL also has worked with the Center for Creative Leadership to arrange complimentary coaching support to help nurse leaders and their teams navigate the COVID-19 crisis.
If you haven鈥檛 done so yet, please check out our 鈥淔orever Grateful鈥 campaign recognizing the physicians, nurses and all of our front-line caregivers and team members for what they have done 鈥 and continue to do 鈥 to keep us healthy and safe.