Today, the Florida Hospital Association (FHA) announced the launch of a Workforce Resilience Webinar Series for hospital employees, including front-line caregivers, nurses, physicians, volunteers and affiliates. Levels of burnout among health care providers is alarmingly high. There is widespread belief that burnout and lack of employee engagement contribute to high turnover and, in many cases, cause providers to leave the profession altogether. Beginning January 22, 2020, the 12-month series will be led by expert Bryan Sexton, PhD, associate professor and director of the Duke Center for Healthcare Safety & Quality at Duke University Health System.

This program is offered free of charge to all clinicians and teams in Florida hospitals and all Florida Medical Association members, thanks to the charitable sponsorship of Memorial Healthcare System. Each month, a live webinar program will be presented on a topic combining the science of enhancing workforce resilience with practical tools, strategies and resources for building and maintaining a strong workforce. Duke Health will provide nurses and physicians one credit hour of continuing education for each monthly program.

Aurelio Fernandez, FHA board chair and president/CEO of Memorial Healthcare System, said, "Health care is a demanding, stressful profession. Hospital leaders and advocates must do everything in their power to protect the skilled and dedicated personnel who fulfill our mission to care daily for Floridians."

Tim Stapleton, CEO of the Florida Medical Association, said: "On behalf of our more than 25,000 physicians statewide, we are proud to join forces with the Florida Hospital Association to fortify our caregivers as they serve on the frontlines of Florida's health care community."

Topics include:

• Prevalence, severity and measuring burnout and resilience
• Work/life integration
• How cultivating certain attitudes, such as gratitude, mindfulness and awe, affect resilience
• Practicing safe stress and the science of sleep
• Psychological safety
• Importance of quality relationships
• Collaboration and improving teamwork

Enhancing health care worker resilience has been identified by FHA's Workforce Committee as a top priority for Florida's hospitals. A critical piece of delivering safe, effective care is a skilled and resilient health care workforce. Across the nation, more than one-third of nurses and half of physicians report feeling burned out from their work. Burnout is linked to higher rates of depression, substance abuse, anxiety, physical illness, divorce and suicide.