Nowadays, Emotional Intelligence (EI) is gradually becoming the new requirement for jobs in various sectors other than the required skillset. Hiring managers, recruiters, and talent acquisition professionals desire candidates who have a high level of emotional intelligence. People with higher EI tend to regulate their emotions well, view and approach others and situations empathetically, and control problems better. They compassionately solve problems and are more aware of people’s feelings and emotions, making them preferable for employers. Careers that are more people-centric, such as education, business, healthcare, etc., focus greatly on their employees’ emotional quotient (EQ).
For instance, the healthcare industry is constantly thriving on EQ. The demanding nature of the job of healthcare workers requires them to provide optimal quality patient care and demonstrate satisfactory bedside manners. The dynamic healthcare environment also demands exceptional teamwork. And that’s why rigorous training to develop EQ in workers has become a priority for hospital administration.
Significance of Emotional Intelligence for Health Professionals
Higher emotional intelligence in healthcare workers ensures better interactions between the staff and the patient, leading to improved healthcare outcomes. Since healthcare workers have to juggle several tasks simultaneously and engage with people from all walks of life, emotional intelligence proves monumental in this regard. It allows them to convey distressing news to patients mindfully, work with others collaboratively, and manage workplace stress efficiently.
Among all healthcare workers, nurses interact more with patients. For this reason, they must build trustworthy relationships with their patients, which primarily stems from their emotional intelligence capabilities. That’s why emotional intelligence is considered one of the most crucial qualities of a great nurse manager in today’s time.
The most important factor that gives nurses with higher emotional intelligence an edge is self-awareness. Emotional intelligence is defined as properly perceiving, handling, understanding, and using emotions. Individuals with higher EI are more aware of their behavior and thoughts and can manage them better. While interactions with others are crucial for healthcare workers, managing workplace stress holds utmost significance. Therefore, below we’ll discuss how emotional intelligence helps healthcare professionals tackle burnout:
Self-awareness
Since self-awareness involves interpreting your actions, emotions, and thoughts, healthcare workers can utilize this trait to tackle unforeseen events that trigger burnout. Healthcare is a dynamic and ever-transforming field that witnesses new challenges and obstacles each day. For this reason, healthcare professionals should be aware of the emotional cues, stress triggers, and negative thoughts that lead to burnout. For instance, during the unprecedented times of the COVID-19 pandemic, many healthcare workers failed to regulate their emotions and gave into workplace stress. Eventually, it led to high burnout among nurses, physicians, and other healthcare professionals.
Therefore, healthcare professionals should tune into their thoughts and emotions to control them and rid themselves of workplace stress. And all of this begins with being aware of what triggers such behavior in the first place.
Better Control
Being self-aware gives the power to gain more control over one’s emotions and feelings. The healthcare environment can be physically and emotionally exhausting. Although healthcare professionals are at higher risk of experiencing burnout, this profession cannot tolerate negligence and errors of judgment. Running emergency codes and administering life-saving drugs in pressurizing situations requires composure. For this reason, nurses and physicians need to demonstrate better control over themselves and their emotions.
People with higher emotional intelligence have the power to control and handle their emotions. They exhibit calmness and poise in their actions and decisions in tough times. They know that their emotions are temporary; hence they do not act out. This quality is extremely vital for healthcare workers. Because being stressed out can result in malpractice which can put the worker’s career and the patient’s life at risk.
Motivation
The most defining quality of people with higher emotional intelligence is their self-awareness. They are constantly evaluating their feelings and thoughts and seeking ways of improving themselves. It gives them the “motivation” and zeal to work harder and excel in their careers. As the healthcare system is constantly growing and changing with time, workers will have to adapt to all the new practices and changes. Healthcare workers with higher EI are -intrinsically- motivated and dedicated, which pushes them to progress in their careers. It’s this enthusiasm that makes them more vigilant of their commitment to their profession. They fully understand that stressing at work can inhibit their capabilities to practice well.
So, to tackle burnout and workplace stress, healthcare workers must possess the zeal and motivation to continue performing effectively.
Empathy
Although it can contribute greatly to burnout, empathy is a blessing in disguise. Building strong relationships with other healthcare workers is a great way to exhibit kindness and ensure the feeling of belongingness. Since every coworker goes through the same grunt daily, collaborative work and teamwork can lessen the stress. What’s more, you can also rely on your hospital buddies to cover your shifts or help you out in stressful situations if you need a break.
Similarly, empathy improves patient care as the healthcare worker gets fully invested in their patient’s recovery.
Resilience
Healthcare workers go through intense training. They witness challenging and stressful situations that eventually make them emotionally distant. Being emotionally distant might help you focus on work but can hinder your devotion to providing better patient care. Since people with higher EI are more self-aware, they eventually develop higher self-esteem. They have a strong sense of who they are and can handle stressful situations better all by themselves.
They can overcome negative emotions and feelings that can arise in taxing circumstances. Resilience is a quality that healthcare recruiters seek in candidates. And only a person who is self-aware and fully in control of their emotions can demonstrate it well.
Conclusion
Professional burnout has become a real problem, especially during the pandemic. Healthcare workers bore the grunt of the virus the most and put their lives at risk. The tiring protocols and preventive measures seriously impacted their mental health. That’s why emotional intelligence is valued greatly in the healthcare system now, as it exhibits self-awareness and control. A healthcare worker fully aware of their emotions and stress triggers knows well when to step back and avoid burnout. So, to limit workplace stress and burnout, work on your emotional quotient and reap the benefits for years to come.
