How A Peer Support Program Benefits Healthcare Providers

Keck Medicine of USC has launched a Peer Support Program to help staff discuss stressful events with a trained colleague.

Fifteen minutes. It doesn’t sound that long. However, it’s enough to have a significant impact on a colleague’s frame of mind.  

This is the concept the Keck Medicine of USC Peer Support Program is built upon — that talking to a peer, even for a small amount of time, can have an enormous impact helping someone process and heal from a negative experience.  

Our Care for the Caregiver team launched the program in October 2021 as a way for staff to process and heal after experiencing a difficult event or cumulative stress. They selected an evidence-based model with a proven track record of creating and maintaining healthy and happy workplaces. 

Since then, the program has trained 57 peer supporters who have reached out to more than 500 individuals throughout the health system. 

How the peer support program works

When an employee asks for support, the Care for the Caregiver team looks through the roster of peer supporters and matches them with a colleague with a similar job who is likely to understand the issues they are facing.  

Peer supporters are trained in how to hold caring conversations in a nonjudgmental, effective manner to help caregivers process emotional events. Sessions are free and confidential, and further mental health resources are available, such as the Care for the Caregiver Emotional Well-Being Phone Line, if needed.  

The benefit of peer supporters

Research shows that peer support programs promote a positive culture in organizations and can help avoid burnout and improve patient care. This program is also part of Keck Medicine of USC’s commitment to create workspaces built on trust and compassion. 

Feedback from staff

So far, the feedback we’ve received has been overwhelmingly positive. Here are a few comments: 

‘I was very appreciative of the support. [The peer supporter] gave me the time to express my feelings on a traumatic situation in the workplace and I felt very comfortable with sharing.”  

“Everything [the peer supporter] said was extremely comforting. I felt like she was a friend I have known for a long time.”   

“[The peer supporter] provided me with tools and feedback to assist getting through a rough time. This is a great program!” 

Not only do those seeking counseling benefit, so do the peer supporters. Carrie D’Arcangelo, an education coordinator for the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department of USC Verdugo Hills Hospital, has held many positions since joining the hospital 20 years ago, from inpatient occupational therapist to wellness instructor. But one of her most cherished roles is being a volunteer peer supporter. 

“Without a doubt, this experience has been incredibly rewarding,” she says. “The opportunity to connect with my fellow caregivers and to offer support during an uncertain time, reminds me of why I became a health care worker in the first place.”  
 
I am proud of our peer supporters as well as those who have taken advantage of this service. Asking for support is often just as brave as providing it.  

Life, especially in the demanding field of health care, can be stressful. But no matter what we face, none of us are alone. There are people available to listen to us, validate our feelings, offer new perspectives and provide hope. Our Peer Support Program is proof.

The opportunity to connect with my fellow caregivers and to offer support during an uncertain time, reminds me of why I became a health care worker in the first place.

Carrie D’Arcangelo, an education coordinator for the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department of USC Verdugo Hills Hospital.

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