Not being consumed by your job, but taking charge
Professionals in hospitals perform under high pressure. And although you would expect highly trained specialists to choose for themselves how they shape their career or their job, in reality, doctors do this very little. If people choose more actively what they want to focus on in their work, this will result in a lot of motivation and enthusiasm, according to previous research. Evelien van Leeuwen, PhD candidate at Utrecht University, is researching how we can encourage medical specialists to do this more actively. It is part of her PhD research on the employability of medical specialists. Van Leeuwen and her promotor Eva Knies are involved in the Future of Work hub in Utrecht.
Until now, little concrete research had been done among doctors into 鈥渃areer crafting鈥; choosing the content of your work and career yourself. A so-called intervention into this, a scientific study in which you influence the lives of the participants, had never been done on this topic and in this field of work. All the more reason for this study by Evelien van Leeuwen and her colleagues Machteld van den Heuvel (affiliated with the UvA) and professors Eva Knies and Toon Taris.
Turning off pop-ups, delegating, reflecting
In a recently published they describe how they approached the research. The participants were randomly assigned to a group that did not receive specific training and a group that did. The doctors who attended the training changed small things in their job that help them deal with a high workload, such as turning off pop-up notifications, delegating or rejecting tasks and taking the time to reflect on energy guzzlers and energy providers. The doctors also started to shape their careers, for example by talking to a coach, manager or sparring partner and making long-term plans. They have also shared career aspirations with others to create potential opportunities.
Hiding in your office with the lights off
Researcher Evelien van Leeuwen: 鈥淭he doctors said that during the training they discovered that they sometimes encountered the same struggles as their colleagues. One example that struck me, was a doctor who reported that she regularly turned off the lights in her office in the hospital, hoping that people would think she was not there and not knock on the door so that she could continue working undisturbed. That helped her deal with the high workload. When the question was subsequently asked whether other doctors who participated in the training recognised this, half of them raised their hand鈥 鈥
When we asked if other doctors recognised this, half put their hand in the air... That moment struck me.
鈥淚 got a lot of positive reactions after the research. Participants called the training an eye-opener and enjoyed participating in it, together with other medical specialists in the hospital. This motivates me to continue with my PhD research. Doctors are always ready to help others, but who helps the doctor? Burnout rates are very high in this profession. This is a direct problem for doctors, but indirectly also for patients and the quality of care. Someone has to help the doctor to think about himself, I am happy to contribute to that. Fortunately, it is a theme that is now receiving more attention in the health sector than before. And even more so in the current COVID crisis. 鈥
In a subsequent article, PhD candidate Van Leeuwen and her colleagues can share even more results about the specific changes that the subjects went through and reported. The current article focuses mainly on the approach to this intervention.
It has been publishes as an article in JMIR Research Protocols: Career Crafting Training Intervention for Physicians: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial, van Leeuwen EH, van den Heuvel M, Knies E, Taris TW.