Ideas That Work: Give Your Staff a Space to Rest and Recharge

Practical pearls from your colleagues.

Provider stress and burnout didn’t just magically disappear following the end of the pandemic. It did, however, stress to health systems that providers need time and a place to attend to their own needs. With that in mind, ChristianaCare in Newark, Del., created OASIS rooms, with the acronym standing for Opportunity to Achieve Staff Inspiration and Strength.

According to Chief Wellness Officer Heather Farley, MD, MHCDS, FACEP, ChristianaCare’s Center for WorkLife Wellbeing partners with the health system’s administration to identify and transform underutilized spaces into comfortable, peaceful places for caregivers to step away briefly from their work so they can return more rested and rejuvenated. “There are 13 OASIS rooms spread across our main hospital campuses, including some of our busiest inpatient units, for accessibility to all caregivers,” says Dr. Farley. Most OASIS rooms are utilized on a first-come, first-served basis, but a few of the units have opted to include a sign-up sheet to allow caregivers the opportunity to reserve a timeslot during a regularly scheduled break time. Each OASIS room is uniquely designed by champions on the unit with their own look and feel, but some elements are consistently present. “All OASIS rooms have a massage chair, low lighting, soothing sound machines and other relaxing features,” says Dr. Farley. Up to 200 caregivers a month utilize the OASIS rooms and are grateful to have a space to step away and recharge. “One caregiver recently visited our newest OASIS room and is inspired to create her own OASIS space at home,” she says. OSM