This is our third installment in our blog series for healthcare professionals.
The most common Enneagram type to be seen across all occupations within the healthcare field is Enneagram Type 2. Type 2s are the givers; they enjoy taking care of others and have a strong drive to be needed. Nurturing by nature, they care about others; sometimes it is this caring that can lead to their professional downfall and result in burnout.
A Type 2 has a natural ability to connect with others and can empathize easily. However, when they are using these innate abilities in a professional landscape in which they are surrounded by opportunities to give to others, they may become over-committed and lose focus on their own personal needs. They have a drive to care for others- which should make them the ideal candidates for healthcare professions, however, this natural inclination may become exploited.
It seems logical that Type 2s would be drawn to the healthcare field. At its core, that is the environment where with every interaction there are needs that must be met. Patients are frightened, sick, and needy—the perfect environment for a Type 2 to fill their own personal desire to care for others. The patients are endless; however, Type 2s are only human. Their capacity to give is not bottomless.
When people are constantly connecting and feeling the pain of others, this can lead to compassion fatigue. Too much emphasis is placed on empathy and pleasing others. The glass is half empty, the team is short-staffed, the workload is overwhelming- a Type 2 will undoubtably rise to the occasion. There must be a balance that is met whereas the caregiver is able to do what they feel is natural, yet boundaries are made, and emotional protection is afforded.
Employers should be made aware and educated on the needs of their staff. Sometimes it can be uncomfortable for a Type 2 to say, “No” or to acknowledge their own needs. If they are over-used, they will become exhausted and be forced to abandon the situation, thus creating the high turnover rates that are inherent in the modern healthcare setting.
Teaching the Type 2 about self-care, setting boundaries and helping them to gain a greater understanding of their internal motivators will help them to re-calibrate and see the big picture that they are an integral part of. They are the least likely of the types to put their needs first. If they are provided not only an understanding of their internal motivators, but the motivations of others, they will gain a greater understanding of the big picture that they are working within and regain personal focus. They should be trained to understand that their needs are just as important as the needs of the people they are attending to. Allow them to indulge in self-reflection and provide an environment that rewards their innate ability to empathize. And their seemingly endless capacity to care, give and nurture should neither be taken for granted nor abused. If it is, the revolving door of employee resignations and new hires will never stop spinning.