Promoting resilience and psychological wellbeing of military providers: The Navy Medicine Caregiver Occupational Stress Control (CgOSC) program

• Published in: Military psychology 2023-05, Vol.35 (3), p.223-232
• Main Authors: Delaney, Eileen, Gerardi, Robert, Beauchamp, Monique, Tellez, Gabriel, Ram, Vasudha
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Burnout, Professional - prevention & control; caregiver; Caregivers; Humans; Medicine; military; Military Personnel - psychology; Occupational stress; Occupational Stress - prevention & control; provider; Resilience: burnout
• ISSN: 0899-5605; 1532-7876
• DOI: 10.1080/08995605.2022.2109363

Military Medicine providers (sometimes referred to as caregivers) not only endure the stress of supporting the medical readiness of operational commands, they take on the continuous demands involved in providing direct care to military beneficiaries. Research shows that occupational stress and burnout impacts the health and wellbeing of providers, increases job turnover, and reduces the quality of patient care. Thus, interventions have aimed to reduce burnout and enhance the wellbeing of military providers. Although these efforts have shown promise, there is much room for improvement. Navy Medicine has implemented the Caregiver Occupational Stress Control (CgOSC) program at its commands, with the objectives to enhance provider wellbeing and resilience, improve retention, and ensure the quality of patient care. This article introduces the Navy Medicine CgOSC program, describes the implementation of the CgOSC program at Navy Medicine commands, and delineates how the program is tracked for program adherence. This tracking method can serve as a model for other healthcare organizations that are establishing programs that aim to promote the wellbeing of their providers.