The Dark Side of a Dedicated Career. Medical doctors are known for our long hours and unwavering dedication to our patients. But what happens when this level of commitment turns into a destructive force? Workaholism, the compulsive drive to work excessive hours, is a growing concern in the medical profession, with a significant number of doctors struggling with the demands of our careers.

Amidst the bustling hospital halls,
Where healing hands attend to calls,
Amidst the chaos and the strife,
There stands a symbol of life.

Impostor syndrome is a common phenomenon among physicians, where we feel like we are frauds in our profession and that we don’t deserve our success. It is believed that this feeling is often triggered by the high level of responsibility and stress that comes with being a doctor. Impostor syndrome can also be considered a risk factor for burnout and psychological distress.

Institutional betrayal in corporate medicine refers to instances in which physicians or other healthcare professionals feel that their employers have acted against their best interests, or violated their trust. This can occur in a number of different ways, from unfair treatment of staff to unethical business practices, and can have wide-ranging effects on both staff and patients.

We hope that, on this Valentine’s day when romantic love is celebrated, you got to spend some time with those you love. You are very loved by us here at Physicians Anonymous. So we wrote you all a little love poem.

Few of us swear by Apollo the physician, and Asclepius, and Hygieia and Panacea. But all of us know, “First do no harm,” (which is actually a misquote from the Hippocratic Oath). The Oath underpins much of modern medical ethics and professionalism. Most of us ascribe to these broad principles, but in conversations with distressed colleagues, it is apparent that there are a minority of us who seem to be mired in hypocrisy rather than Hippocrates.

Physician self care is not selfish. It’s essential to thriving in medicine. This article will explore barriers to physician self care and help physicians develop self-care practices for their physical, emotional, spiritual and intellectual health.

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Cognitive distortions are exaggerated or irrational thoughts that we have. In Part 2 of this article, by learning to tackle common cognitive distortions, you will be empowered to manage your amazing mind and smooth over the bumps in the road of a career in medicine.

Extreme stress tends to bring out more of these cognitive distortions, and modern medicine is a rich source of stress for doctors and medical students. We give 6 examples of classic cognitive distortions as applied to medicine, and discover ways to challenge them with more realistic thinking.

T’was the night before Christmas, and all through the ER, everyone was stirring, shouting, vomiting, and hemorrhaging. Except for the mice, who very sensibly stayed away, because it was chaos.

This article explores why residents are at even higher risk of burnout and mental health deterioration than the average physician population. We then look at the evidence base for resident burnout prevention programs and consider why postgraduate education providers should seriously consider investing in these. Mindfulness and Coaching programs are examined as having the most evidence-base.

I recently decided I was going to leave my role as an Emergency Medicine (ER) doctor in the UK National Health Service (NHS). As service after service reaches its full capacity and beyond, the people who rely on these services do not know where to go for the help they need. All of these factors led me do decide that I no longer wanted to commit my daily energies to a system that was causing me to burn out.

If there was one thing that helped me deal with my own burnout, it was hearing another General Practitioner (GP) stand up in front of a lecture theatre of 200 people and say that they had been burned out too. 

“For the first time in ages, I didn’t feel alone anymore that night. Despite the craziness that had happened in the days prior, I felt calm.

In this, our second Guest Physician blog by Dr Henry Harris, surgeon, alcoholic in recovery, and proudly Approved Physicians Anonymous Mentor, Dr Harris shares his experience of rehab as an alcoholic physician.