“We lost him”. The surgical resident whispered it under his breath, stepping away from the trauma bay. The blood on his gloves and scrubs, a dull reddish brown under fluorescent lights, told the story of a 12-hour shift spent fighting battles he often lost.
We all talk about the importance of letting go, but they are very few of us that can actually do it well. Perhaps being human makes it so hard.
Yet it is when we let go that things begin to move and what we’ve been hoping and wishing for comes in alignment.
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned on my Hero’s Journey is the importance of learning to accept ourselves (our full selves).
There has never been a more urgent need to combat, or ideally prevent, physician burnout, mental illness, and suicide. In this article, we explore a number of peer support programs and summarize the key elements required to develop safe and supportive spaces for the unique needs of physicians at risk of burning out.
When you allow yourself to truly see and sit with the fact that we are only here for a short period of time, it can feel scary… and also freeing.
Motherhood is by far the hardest thing that I have ever done and continue doing every day. It is 1 million times harder than being a doctor and requires such a delicate dance of unconditional love, consistency, and compromise. At the same time, there is no doubt that being a physician is one of the hardest professions out there.
Physician loneliness is a thing. In Part 2, I look at the lonely physician and systemic (“Them”) factors and solutions.
We humans are wired for connection. Our ancestors evolved as social beings because, simply, working together as a band of humanoids increased their chances of survival and reproduction. Multiple studies have shown that collaboration engenders survival advantage. Yet physician loneliness is a real thing.
In this article, we look at the connection between charting and physician burnout. We also examine innovations to try and reduce charting-related fatigue and physician burnout.
In this article, we explore the link between the burnout syndrome as it relates to doctors, and the impacts on their physical and mental health.
In this article, we explore the history of the “burnout syndrome” in general and as it relates to physicians specifically. Why is physician burnout history important?
Reach out to your loved ones, and be honest. Trust me, they will help you. You are loved in more ways than you can imagine, because you are one unique lovable bright spot in this world. So stay with us and shine on us. This a Physicians Anonymous co-founder’s story of how she lost a spouse to suicide.
What exactly is physician burnout? In this article, we explore the construct of the burnout syndrome definition as it relates to doctors: a physician burnout definition.
We are not superheroes. We need to navigate the Fine Line Between Appreciation and Realism.
“Front-line”, “battle”, “the trenches”. These terms are all too familiar when talking about modern medicine. Why are we referencing war when we should be talking about healing?
Is there a simple inverse relationship between resilience and burnout? Intuitively, one would think so, but with physicians, it’s never that simple. A recent paper in JAMA Open reveals some startlng findings.
In Part 2, I present the second part of my story: one of physician burnout recovery – how I emerged from the wreckage and rebuilt my life. I sincerely hope that it provides hope for others who are struggling.
If you’ve not heard of Corrigan’s Secret Door, you’re in for a treat. Based on a legendary Irish physician, the Secret Door denotes a metaphorical escape route for busy physicians from their hectic clinics.
My career and life crashed to a halt after 25 years in clinical medicine. I was at one point “suicidal with planning and intent”. Medical knowledge in the hands of a suicidal physician can be deadly. As an affluent, respected physician, confident in my position, well-liked and admired by society, yet suffering inside, why did I not seek help?
Physicians are sick, and it’s getting worse. Yet too few doctors seek help or reach out when we are struggling. Record numbers of us are burning out, becoming mentally ill or addicted, retiring early, and leaving medicine.
In this article, Part 2, I concede that there are some excellent principles differentiating ineffective from effective physician resilience programs. We hope that colleagues and medical leaders designing such programs will find the guidance useful, and further grasp the nettle of addressing the root causes of physician burnout.
