Table.

Four Key Questions Leaders Can Ask to Support Clinicians During the COVID-19 Pandemic Recovery Phase

Question	Example responses
What are the ways your life has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic?	Loss of all kinds (family, friends, patients, human connection) Loneliness Limited emotional reserve, exhaustion Altered routines Change in work roles/responsibilities Lack of work-life balance Sense of languishing Extreme workloads Moral dilemmas of care Uncertainty and worry — professional, health, personal, financial, family
What does value and appreciation at work feel like for you?	Transparent communication Communicating early and often (don’t wait until its perfect) Including their experience into future planning Flexibility (telehealth, remote work, schedule, redeployment environment) Eliminating unnecessary burden (documentation, password updates, and mandatory quality and safety trainings)
What prevents you from doing a job that you are proud of?	People cannot continue to do all they were doing before plus more, so things need to be removed from their plate, resources need to be built in, or expectations need to change Leaders need to show more flexibility and grace in expectations and acknowledge that this time is not normal Need to adjust our expectations for ourselves — my patients still need me, but I also may have kids screaming in the background
What can be done to move forward and help you do a job you are proud of?	Rather than ask someone how they are doing, ask “how can I help make your day better?” Meet one-on-one with clinicians to identify what they have lost academically or monetarily and help create an action plan to get that back on track (and check back in regularly!) Create financial relief programs for those affected by unforeseen costs or who have suffered funding losses Respect work and home boundaries Encourage self-care Encourage time off Adjust clinical volume expectations and job descriptions to reflect post–COVID-19 workload Create opportunities for grieving and sharing loss