Burnout is a reality for hundreds of Ukrainian doctors. They save lives, support patients, and after the shift they return home to an endless list of worries and responsibilities. Do they have enough strength to take care of themselves? Mostly - no.

To support those who find themselves on the verge, the ZDOROVI team, with the support of Americares, created an online course "Psychological First Aid for Doctors and Counteracting Professional Burnout". This is 1 hour of practical knowledge and exercises that can become first aid for medical workers.

📌 In the course medical workers can find:

- a five-step psychological first aid algorithm: safety, contact, stabilization, information, action plan;

- an explanation of how to recognize triggers and signs of emotional exhaustion;

- practical self-regulation exercises according to the BASIC Ph model (breathing, grounding, working with emotions, thinking, physical practices, social support);

- self-testing tool to assess your own level of burnout;

- useful contacts: hotlines, psychologists and support resources for doctors.

👉 You can see the course at the link: https://youtu.be/VV2352eHQ5w

But behind the dry words “burnout” and “exhaustion” stand living stories. Oksana (name changed for confidentiality reasons) is a rehabilitation doctor. Her work is connected every day with people who are struggling to recover from serious injuries. She teaches them to walk again, feel their bodies, and return to life. For her patients, Oksana is an example of strength and hope.

But at home, a completely different front awaits her. A husband with a mental disorder requires constant care. Two children have chronic diseases, and there is no family support nearby. Everything is on her shoulders - an endless list of duties and responsibilities that do not allow her to stop even for a moment.

Instead of rest after work - diets and medications, organizing examinations, monitoring every little thing. Every night she wakes up from anxiety: will there be enough money for treatment, will she have time to pass tests, will she be able to give her children what they need. The constant feeling of exhaustion turns into a background in which there is no place for joy.

Oksana is used to helping others. She knows how to listen, calm and support her patients, but when it comes to herself - she has no strength left. Symptoms of professional burnout have become commonplace: fatigue, indifference, irritation, a feeling of guilt that she is “doing not enough”, even when she is doing more than possible.

Oksana’s story is not an exception, but rather a reflection of the situation of hundreds of Ukrainian doctors. They keep the healthcare system running, save lives, but often forget about their own.

That is why we created this course - so that doctors and nurses have a simple and affordable tool for taking care of themselves. Because doctors also have the right to recovery, because only in this way can they remain a support for their patients.

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