How an OB/GYN is Improving Clinician Experience at Sanford Health

Heather Spies, MD

If you’re a clinician, you know how easy it is for stress to pile on. Compassion fatigue, long hours and staff shortages can all negatively affect physical and mental health for medical professionals. 

These issues can lead to burnout, and according to the American Medical Association, nearly half of all physicians experienced at least one symptom of burnout in 2023. 

For health systems like Sanford Health, addressing burnout head-on is critical to improving the clinician experience and, subsequently, patient care. Heather Spies, MD, is an OB/GYN and the physician director of clinician experience and well-being at Sanford Health. Through her leadership and collaboration with her peers, Dr. Spies is making strides to improve clinicians’ lives at work and at home. 

Dr. Spies’ career as a physician and leader 

From delivering babies and caring for women of all ages to leading internal well-being initiatives, Dr. Spies does a lot to care for others at Sanford Health, and she’s been doing it for a long time. 

“I’ve been with Sanford Health my entire career,” said Dr. Spies. “I’ve worked here for over 18 years, and there have been a lot of changes during that time, but I’ve always felt like I’ve had access to the resources, support and opportunities I need to grow. It’s an incredible place to work for.” 

Dr. Spies initially started her practice at Sanford Health in Watertown, South Dakota, and while she’s always loved her job, she’s struggled with managing her well-being in the past. 

“Balancing my practice with raising a family was difficult, and to be honest, I didn’t always balance it well,” said Dr. Spies. “One emphasis we have within Sanford Health is that we need to model well-being and look out for each other. We support each other, so it truly feels like we’re a family.” 

In 2011, she was invited to join Sanford Health’s Leading the Way program. This gave her the ability to form deeper relationships with her peers and learn from physician and non-physician leaders in the organization. 

“I built a community of people around me to check in with and bounce ideas off of,” said Dr. Spies. “We often go through similar experiences when we’re trying to raise a family or balance our personal life with our career, so having a support network was really beneficial for my well-being and growth.” 

The Leading the Way program resonated with Dr. Spies and sparked a desire in her to do more to help her fellow clinicians, which she has done in many different roles since then. 

Creating clinician well-being initiatives 

After moving to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, in 2015, Dr. Spies went on to obtain an MBA in organizational leadership. During that time, her colleagues, mentors and leaders at Sanford Health were very supportive, and she was able to continue her full-time clinical practice. 

Once she finished her degree, Dr. Spies got to pioneer a new role within Sanford Health – physician director of clinician experience and well-being. This would eventually lead to the formation of groups like the Clinician Well-being Council (CWC) and the Sanford RISES clinician leadership program. 

The CWC supports clinicians’ professional and personal lives by prioritizing, advocating for and modeling clinician well-being throughout the organization. 

“Working in health care can be stressful no matter where you practice or what your specialty is,” said Dr. Spies. “It’s absolutely essential to us to prioritize clinician experience. If we don’t support our people, they may burn out.” 

RISES stands for Reaching Others, Innovating and making an impact, Strategizing to support and sustain the organization, Elevating and empowering others, Serving our colleagues and communities. The program provides Sanford Health's top clinicians with a chance to grow and embrace their role as a leader. The participants in this program apply with a letter of support from their leaders and are chosen by a selection committee. The goal of the program, like many others, is to build the best culture possible for every clinician at Sanford Health.

“One of the reasons I'm proud to work at Sanford is that we have very robust clinician assistance programs,” said Dr. Spies. “We support our clinicians. If a clinician would like to seek counseling or coaching for either personal or professional growth, we provide that to them for free.” 

Another program Dr. Spies has seen make an impact on the well-being of clinicians is the AMA Joy in Medicine Health System Recognition Program. This program evaluates health systems based on six different categories – assessment, commitment, efficiency of practice environment, teamwork, leadership and support. 

“As a part of this program, we as a health system acknowledge and commit to the organizational work that needs to be done to improve well-being in the workplace,” said Dr. Spies. “We are looking for ways to optimize teamwork and efficiency so clinicians have more valuable time with patients rather than administrative tasks. This, coupled with our leadership development initiatives, gives clinicians more joy in their work and makes them feel supported by their leaders.” 

Sanford Health received the gold level of recognition from the program in 2023 and continually strives to maintain and improve the initiatives it has in place. Currently, it’s the only system based in the Dakotas to be recognized by the program. 

Using innovative technology to improve work efficiency 

Sometimes the solution for solving physician burnout and other well-being issues comes through technological advances like artificial intelligence. Dr. Spies has seen how it helps employees focus less on daily tasks and more on their patients. 

“A lot of primary care physicians are going home and spending two or three hours a night charting,” said Dr. Spies. “To cut back on this time, we recently introduced an AI tool that uses ambient technology to summarize and input notes into patient charts.” 

Cutting back on time spent on patient charts gives physicians the ability to focus on what they enjoy the most – helping patients. 

“I think one of the reasons I’ve worked here for so long is that I’ve received support when I needed it,” said Dr. Spies. “I’ve had peers, partners and colleagues step up to encourage me and help me find joy in my work, and it’s what makes Sanford Health so special.” 

Supporting the community by supporting clinicians 

Sanford Health wants to improve the health of the communities it serves, and that includes the health and well-being of its clinicians, too. 

“I love seeing the endless ways Sanford Health has contributed to where we live,” said Dr. Spies. “I have always felt that Sanford attracts people that like to collaborate, communicate and support each other. I have complete trust in the organization because the decisions we make are grounded in our values.” 

By investing time and resources into its people, Sanford Health is doing everything it can to improve all aspects of health care. 

“Ultimately, it comes down to the patients and giving them the best care we can,” said Dr. Spies. “If we aren’t taking care of ourselves, we can’t be on the top of our game.” 

Careers at Sanford Health provide excellent pay, comprehensive benefits, and above all, the opportunity to serve your community. If you’re looking for a rewarding career with plenty of room to grow, start exploring our open positions at sanfordcareers.com today.