Photo Credit: Deagreez

Coping tips for clinicians experiencing holiday work stress due to patient surges, staffing shortages, and increased inpatient emotional demands.

While the holiday season often brings joy, it also introduces significant stress: 89% of U.S. adults report feeling holiday season stress, according to a 2023 American Psychological Association poll. For clinicians, unique challenges that compound holiday stress include increased patient load, staff shortages, and amplified patient emotional needs.

More Patients, Less Staff

Driven by increased absenteeism and senior-level workers taking vacations, healthcare staffing shortages worsen during November and December, according to healthcare staffing company CareerStaff. Simultaneously, patient volumes regularly spike due to various holiday-related incidents:

• Holiday decorating: The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reported that in the 2023 holiday season, 14,900 ED visits stemmed from decorating-related injuries, half involving falls, with many additional cases resulting from fires caused by candles, dry Christmas trees, and overloaded electrical outlets.
• Cooking: Thanksgiving Day is the peak day for cooking fires, with an average of 1,400 cooking fires occurring, more than triple the daily average.
• Impaired driving: Christmas and New Year’s Eve are among the deadliest days on U.S. roads, with impaired driving causing 36% and 40% of these fatalities, respectively, according to the National Safety Council.
• Toys: Toy-related injuries led to an estimated 231,700 ED visits in 2023, with non-motorized scooters accounting for the largest share of injuries across all age groups, according to the CPSC 2023 Toy-Related Deaths and Injuries report.

While clinicians have limited agency over increased patient load, they can help mitigate staffing challenges by raising staffing concerns ahead of the holiday season with administrators, who can engage healthcare recruitment providers to ensure the availability of backup staff for unexpected absences, and contingency workers like clinicians and travel and per diem nurses for planned coverage.

Amplified Emotional Support Needs

Delivering bad news to patients during the holiday season heightens clinician stress. Douglas B. Evans, MD, stated, “While all patients and families are sad to learn that the cancer was not removed, the holiday season is particularly difficult, and patients often get depressed and dejected when bad news is delivered.” To minimize this stress, Dr. Evans’ oncology department avoids scheduling routine cancer follow-ups in December.

During the holidays, inpatients without family nearby, or family whatsoever, often view their healthcare team as a surrogate family, increasing demands for physical and emotional support which also adds to clinician stress.

Coping Strategies for Clinicians

Karen E. Kersting, PhD, offered clinicians these holiday work stress-reducing tips:

• Validate your feelings of being overwhelmed;
• Prioritize sleep, exercise, and balanced nutrition;
• Maintain relaxation and spiritual practices; and,
• Focus on holiday experiences that foster connection.

Finally, Dr. Kersting advises clinicians to use the holiday season to reflect on their year-round contributions to patients’ lives and celebrate their team’s efforts: “You embody the spirit of the holidays.”