Volume 39 Number 5 | October 2025
Summary

A recent American Hospital Association study highlights alarming mental health struggles among healthcare workers, with high rates of stress, burnout, and anxiety, yet few accessing support. Kelcey Harper shares their personal journey of depression, burnout, and recovery, emphasizing the importance of seeking help. They urge workplaces to reduce stigma, provide resources, and foster supportive environments to protect staff wellbeing.

Kelcey Harper, MS, MLS(ASCP)CM, ASCLS Director

Kelcey HarperAccording to the American Hospital Association (AHA), a recent study found “93 percent of health care workers reported stress, 86 percent reported anxiety, 77 percent reported frustration, 76 percent reported exhaustion and burnout, and 75 percent said they were overwhelmed. Yet just 13 percent of front-line health care workers say they received ‘behavioral health services.’” 

Let’s take a moment and let that sink in.

It’s no secret that burnout and mental health struggles have become a plague in the medical laboratory and healthcare professions, and the COVID-19 pandemic likely played a major role in increasing that rate over the last five years. As healthcare professionals, we are often caring for the sickest of patients and the most difficult of cases. We do the work because our mission is to care for our patients to the best of our ability. We want everyone to be able to achieve their greatest level of health possible.

To provide this level of care, we may work copious amounts of overtime, get called into work at the last minute, stay late to assist with a massive transfusion protocol, work under continuous stressful conditions with patient lives on the line, continue work when the AC goes down—do everything we can to keep the analyzers alive … in healthcare, we are always thinking and caring about other people.

“My entire life I was told to never let others know you are struggling, especially your manager, for fear it may come back to haunt you.”

A 2024 article states that burnout in the healthcare professions can have several impacts that are not just affecting the quality of patient care but also causing students to walk away from careers in healthcare. The overall wellbeing of healthcare professionals is impacted, and this burnout attitude can be passed through generations, creating a never-ending tumultuous cycle. If we are going to improve the working conditions for our profession, we need to break the chain of burnout. In a field where we need more laboratory professionals than ever, we need to find ways to support our teams in good times and bad and commit to the sentiment that it is okay to ask for help.

But at what point do we remember that we, too, need caring for? At what point do we put on our own oxygen mask first before helping others on the plane?

I remember vividly how much of an impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on my wellbeing—but COVID was only the tipping point of my mental health taking a turn for the worst. Even before COVID, I was struggling, but functional. I found ways to carry on with my day-to-day life, and no one suspected a thing. Once COVID hit, the isolation became crippling. I tried to be social through Zoom with friends, playing online games, but no amount of Animal Crossing and visiting islands virtually could replace the need for human connection.

I developed severe depression that fall, and it had begun to affect every aspect of my life. I was putting everyone else’s needs above my own and just trying to get by to the next day. Frankly, I’ve always put the needs of others above my own ever since I was a child (and I’m still working on developing healthy boundaries present day!).

Eventually, my spouse helped me recognize the dark place I was in and encouraged me to seek help. I was afraid of what others would think, and I also didn’t want to admit to myself that I needed help, so I put it off. I kept telling myself to push through the pain. In retrospect, I would’ve saved myself from a significant portion of the pain if I had listened to my body and mind.

I took a step back from ASCLS, which was difficult to do, but I knew that I needed to put myself and my wellbeing first. In 2021, I changed jobs, finding a position with the state public health laboratory. Although the work was stressful during COVID times, I felt more fulfilled than I ever had in my career. I also joined a summer sports league to meet other folks and build friendships after moving to Vermont. These small steps, in conjunction with receiving mental health support, began to shift my mindset and I found my footing again.

For a few years, things were great. My physical health was the best it had been. But what happens when life takes another turn and workplace struggles are intertwined in it?

2024 brought a string of failed career opportunities for me that made me question my purpose. My division saw grants being stripped away, and every day I had to face the fact that my job was not guaranteed tomorrow, as I am a grant-funded employee. I had to worry about losing access to healthcare I desperately needed. I was also switched into a new unit at work, and the transition was awkward and difficult to manage.

My motivation at work dwindled, the spark was gone, and I was holding on with my fingertips just trying to survive. I kept trying to take care of everyone else but myself. I became easily frustrated and irritable, and I almost quit my job at one point. My new manager, who has known me for years, was at a loss and didn’t understand what was going on.

But this time I recognized it earlier than before, and I did something that some folks may look down upon—I decided to be open and honest about my struggles with my manager instead of hiding them. My manager was supportive through it all, ensured I had the resources I needed inside and outside the workplace, and worked with me to shift my workload and give some flexibility where we could. Additionally, working closely with a mental health counselor and my primary care physician, I was able to find a plan that worked for me and help get me back on track—providing the extra neurotransmitters I needed to find my stable ground once again. My entire life I was told to never let others know you are struggling, especially your manager, for fear it may come back to haunt you. For me, it was 100 percent worth it.

We need to rid the workplace of this stigma—because there is NOTHING wrong with getting the help that you need, and you are not weak for admitting you need support.

Unfortunately, the type of support I received at my workplace may not be common practice across the healthcare field.

So, what can we do to ensure we support our healthcare team, each other, and ourselves?

For managers and leadership:

  1. Remove stigma about mental health treatment.
  2. Support employees in seeking help by allowing flexible time off for appointments and let them know it is okay to take care of themselves by taking time away.
  3. Build a culture of psychological safety and provide training to help employees manage stress in the workplace.
  4. Offer peer-support programs.
  5. Have empathy and compassion for your employees—they aren’t robots.

For all healthcare professionals:

  1. Utilize your employer’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
  2. Work with a mental health counselor and/or your physician to find the best treatment plan for you and develop coping mechanisms.
  3. Communicate with your manager if you have specific needs for flexibility.
  4. Find a peer support program.
  5. Most importantly, don’t suffer in silence and ask for help early and often.

If we want to continue to provide high quality care for our patients, we must first invest in high quality care for ourselves. We will not get rid of burnout overnight, but we can take purposeful steps to shift our mindset that mental health care IS HEALTHCARE. And all healthcare professionals deserve to achieve their highest quality of health. Be kind to yourself and put your oxygen mask on first.

References
  1. Supporting Behavioral Health | Strengthening the Health Care Workforce | AHA, https://www.aha.org/workforce-strategies/supporting-behavioral-health
  2. Vital Signs: Health Worker–Perceived Working Conditions and Symptoms of Poor Mental Health — Quality of Worklife Survey, United States, 2018–2022 | MMWR, https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/72/wr/mm7244e1.htm?s_cid=mm7244e1_w
  3. Sipos D, Goyal R, Zapata T. Addressing burnout in the healthcare workforce: current realities and mitigation strategies. Lancet Reg Health Eur. 2024 Jun 11;42:100961. doi: 10.1016/j.lanepe.2024.100961. PMID: 39070752; PMCID: PMC11281910.
  4. The role of self-care and self-compassion in networks of resilience and stress among healthcare professionals | Scientific Reports, https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-01111-1
  5. Frontiers | Strategies to support the mental health and well-being of health and care workforce: a rapid review of reviews, https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/medicine/articles/10.3389/fmed.2025.1530287/full

Kelcey Harper is Public Health Microbiologist IV at the Vermont Department of Health Laboratory in Colchester, Vermont.