Heartbeats and Hiccups: Conversations about the defining moments that shape our careers, from passions to pivots
2 top HR professionals in stanford medicine I am a veteran. Kevin MoodyVice Dean for Human Resources Faculty of MedicineFrom 1997 to 2001, he served in the Marine Corps as an air traffic warfare officer, and until 2004 served as a reserve officer capable of responding to national emergencies. Mercy AchesonJD, Senior Vice President and Head of Human Resources Stanford Medicine Children’s Healthmanaged Air Force personnel from 1989 to 1993 and served in Operation Desert Storm.
As a child, Acheson worked with her mother in a skilled nursing facility and volunteered as a candy striper. Her first HR job was in skilled nursing and since then she has mostly worked in healthcare. Moody has had careers at major academic institutions such as Harvard and Emory, but his job at Stanford University School of Medicine is his first foray into medicine. I spoke with two of his leaders at the Stanford University School of Medicine about their approach to leading an academic institution and what they call “serving those who serve.”
Both mentioned concerns about employee fatigue and mental health. What are the main factors that have led to an increase in mental health issues and burnout?
Moody: The first is the overwhelming work demands. While technology has enhanced and improved our lives, it has created this his 24/7 culture. Second, the pandemic introduced this concept of work-life integration, disrupting our personal and work lives. People were homeschooling their children and caring for the elderly. These social problems have not gone away, and the personal and professional demands on our time and other resources are unlikely to subside. must learn to deal with these problems in
There is also a shortage of health care providers. The pandemic will continue to impact healthcare demand, especially as baby boomers age.
Atchison: We treat children with the most complex medical and social conditions affecting their health. We are already treating critically ill patients, and the severity is increasing. COVID-19 complicated people’s health and the condition went untreated as people often avoided seeing a doctor during the pandemic.
The no-visitation policy during the pandemic has also created many conflicts between caregivers and families. This was a major issue that medical professionals never had to deal with.
When someone comes to you with symptoms of burnout, how do you deal with it? Are there specific steps you can take?
Atchison: When there are very emotional moments and employees are suffering, we allow them the time they need to recover. Help healthcare workers report or use employee assistance programs that help connect employees with mental health and wellbeing resources.
Moody: The question is, how can we identify these symptoms of burnout early so we can begin intervention sooner? Some of them involve managers and leaders. We talk about people being “on” all the time. I need to create a boundary.
You both stand for diversity, inclusion, and equity. What steps are you currently taking to improve patient access and equity in care?
Atchison: Creating better access to equitable health care for our patients and communities continues to be a priority of diversity, equity and inclusion. Launched the Ask Because We Care initiative. The initiative asks patients to voluntarily self-identify their race and ethnicity. We have found that this allows us to better understand patient populations and their diverse healthcare needs. This initiative helps inform and prescribe an equitable approach to health for patients and families. To continue building a foundation for equitable and inclusive medical practice, we will soon expand it by including the gender identity and sexual orientation of our patients.
Moody: We often treat diversity, equity and inclusion as if they are one and the same. In doing so, we focus on increasing diversity and not enough on creating a fair and inclusive environment for all. Assume that diversity within an organization can be increased to an optimal level. Then what? Focusing on increasing diversity does little in itself if you don’t feel like you can be who you really are.
We often look at metrics (what percentage of staff are undervalued), but that never tells us what they are experiencing in our environment. Inclusion is what we do institutionally to make them feel they belong and can participate fully. We don’t want our mission to be just about increasing diversity. Try to focus on building a fair system. Much of the work Mercy and I do is focused on equity.
Acheson: These programs help us get to know our patients and communities better, provide interpreting services, and support programs that improve the quality of care.
Photo courtesy of Todd Holland
