The epidemic of burnout among physicians and other healthcare professionals is here and it ain’t going away (yet). This article explores the key underlying causes of physician burnout and moral injury.
Physician Poetry: How To Be a Good Doctor On a Very Bad Day. The writer beautifully articulates the quiet suffering so many of us endure—the shame, the imposter syndrome of self-doubt, and the silent suffering and unnecessary isolation that comes with the weight of our responsibilities and our toxic medical system.
This poem, The Human Conundrum, explores the emptiness of consumerism and the need for deeper fulfillment through creativity, community, and connection with nature. It highlights the damage inflicted on the planet due to overconsumption while offering hope through imagination, unity, and action.
This article explores the thorny issue of physician burnout vs depression, attempting to tease out the similarities and differences.
By the time we are finished our medical training, it’s too late. We have already absorbed or been infused with years of culture, tradition, attitude, and approaches to mental health. These attitudes are towards ourselves, our colleagues, and our patients. If we are to change the culture around physician mental health, we need to start with the doctors of tomorrow. Medical schools have a key role in tackling medical student mental health. And they should start yesterday.
This article defines workplace psychological safety, the toxic triangle of unsafe workplaces, and presents 4 principles for leaders to promote psychologically safe work environments.
We’ve achieved a TON in 2023, especially as we are self-funded and run by volunteers. So from 2024- HOW do we reach the suffering physician? How do we let our colleagues know that there is a safe place where they can be human first, healer second? Where they will not be judged, but they will be heard and loved. Where we can laugh and cry together bonded by the commonality of being wounded healers.
Unlike overt resignations, quiet quitting manifests as a subtle withdrawal, marked by disengagement and diminished job satisfaction. To effectively address this issue, it is imperative to delve into the scale of the problem, understand the causes behind this quiet exodus, and propose actionable solutions tailored to mitigate its impact.
As I sit down to reflect on my decision to quit a toxic hospital workplace, I’m overwhelmed by a mix of emotions – relief, anger, and sadness. Leaving a career I had worked so hard for, after just three years as an attending physician, was not an easy choice.
I had lots of ideas about the root causes of my burnout and how my institution could address them. Don’t tell me to take a yoga class, fix the damn EMR!
Burnout almost led me to take my own life. It destroyed my identity as a surgeon. My medical identity and my life were so enmeshed that losing medicine caused me to mourn my own death. From this low point, I have rebuilt. With lots of intensive therapy, and regular mindfulness and other wellness practices I’ve been able to rise from the depths.
The latest US Physician Burnout & Depression Report (2023) from Medscape finds that physician burnout and depression are worsening. More than half of physicians (52%) reported that they are burned out and nearly 1 in 4 reporting that they are clinically depressed.
Recognizing the critical need for support and coping mechanisms, physician-led peer debriefing has emerged as a promising approach to alleviate the stress and emotional strain physicians face daily.
Doctors, nurses, and other healthcare heroes are often seen as invincible. We’re the ones who care, but who takes care of us?
In a world that constantly demands excellence, where the pursuit of perfection is the norm, there lies a secret joy hidden in the unlikeliest of places – the realm of mediocrity in medicine.
How an obsession with success can lead to physician burnout; and strategies for mitigation
Why do we need laws? After all, hospitals and healthcare businesses know all about the corporate risks of overwork! We argue that without legislation to force safety, nothing will change because little, if anything, has changed to protect healthcare staff from overwork.
I have so many regrets about my medical career that I don’t even know where to begin. And I am not alone. We all make mistakes, give suboptimal service, have off days, or (most often, in my experience), nature wins. The cancer progresses. The psychosis relapses. The diabetes complicates. So am I going to wallow in them and feel sorry for myself? Or is there another way of dealing with regrets in my career as a doctor?
For so many reasons the term “disruptive doctor” is unhelpful at best, cruel and discriminatory at worst. As a label it has been used and misused. Very few physicians start out disruptive. The reality is that disruptive behavior in physicians is often a symptom of a larger systemic problem. It may be related to stress, burnout, mental health issues, addiction, and more.
As healthcare in many countries evolves into a profit-driven industry, physicians face increasing pressures to prioritize efficiency, productivity, and financial outcomes over patient care and personal well-being.
Addressing physician wellbeing is a complex challenge that requires a comprehensive approach beyond individual interventions. A physician well-being ecosystem, designed to support and prioritize the mental and emotional well-being of physicians, is crucial for sustainable change.
