Provider Appreciation: Showing Clinicians They’re Valued

10 Ways Healthcare Leaders Can Make Their Clinicians Feel Appreciated

When is the last time your organization put forth a concerted effort to show your clinicians how much they are valued?

Annual holidays like National Nurses Day, Doctors Day, CRNA Week, NP Week and PA Week serve as excellent opportunities to celebrate clinicians both within their healthcare organizations and among the greater community.

But showing providers they are profoundly appreciated for the daily sacrifices they make to put patient care foremost should be an ongoing priority – a goal that can quickly become lost among the non-stop demands of running a busy facility or health system.

With that in mind, here are various ways healthcare organizations can show providers they are valued.

10 Ways to Show Your Clinicians They’re Valued

1. Provider spotlight – Write an article spotlighting the provider and their accomplishments, awards, research and interests. Share the article in your internal newsletter, post it online, spread through social media, submit to trade journals or add to your organization’s website.
2. Stress-relief gifts – Show clinicians you value their health and wellbeing with gifts like a massage certificate, home spa items, sleep products, aromatherapy, books, journals, tea and mugs, gym membership, yoga class, acupuncture, etc.
3. Thank you video – Send an unexpected thanks to a clinician by creating a video featuring their leaders, colleagues, support staff, patients, community members, family and friends. Ask participants to share what they value most about the provider.
4. Hand-written card – Write an extended message to the provider. Share a specific story about a time they went above-and-beyond to put patient care first. Relay how much that meant to you personally and to the patient, their family, the organization and others.
5. Professional development – Give the gift of career growth. Sponsor a trip to a conference, bring in temporary locum tenens providers to allow the clinician to take extended leave for professional development, or offer student loan or specialized training reimbursement.
6. Provider satisfaction – Consider how the facility can show clinicians they’re valued from an operational standpoint – through greater decision-making control, balanced workloads, manageable patient volumes, streamlined administrative duties, more individual patient time, flexible scheduling, vacation time, leadership and research opportunities, collaboration, breakrooms, etc.
7. Diversity, equity and inclusion – Ensure your organizational culture values all providers. Embrace diversity within your organization and integrate diversity into your branding. Let clinicians know that diversity adds to the richness of your facility and makes patients and staff feel welcome and valued.
8. Healthy treats – Show your providers you appreciate them with food! As tempting as it is to bring in cookies, candies or cake, consider what you can provide that’s nutritious. Bring in a breakfast of mixed berries, fruit and yogurt or a mid-day snack like dark chocolate, pomegranate and sea salt bites. Don’t forget about your nocturnists: surprise them with a mid-night snack like avocado toast and orange juice.
9. Community connection – Give providers a chance to connect with the community. Arrange volunteer or fundraising opportunities. Provide tickets or membership to community plays, concerts, sporting events, school shows, natural parks, outdoor recreation centers, etc.
10. Team-building – Host team-building games and challenges. Create t-shirts for your teams. Organize an outside event at an arcade, art studio, karaoke, escape room, laser tag, etc. Encourage weekly team shout-outs over email or in meetings. Healthcare providers devote so much of themselves to healing others. Showing appreciation for them can easily get lost in the fast-paced healthcare environment. In ongoing efforts to reduce provider burnout, improve satisfaction and raise morale, leaders can take action to show how much clinicians mean to the organization, their patients and the community. Give your clinicians a break with locum tenens coverage.

Healthcare providers devote so much of themselves to healing others. Showing appreciation for them can easily get lost in the fast-paced healthcare environment. In ongoing efforts to reduce provider burnout, improve satisfaction and raise morale, leaders can take action to show how much clinicians mean to the organization, their patients and the community.

Give your clinicians a break with locum tenens coverage.