The EHR, “Pajama time,” and physician burnout
2024-12-30
In this article we explore the impact of “pajama time” and physician burnout, and propose radical solutions like: stop working at home.
In this article we explore the impact of “pajama time” and physician burnout, and propose radical solutions like: stop working at home.
In the often grueling world of medicine, physicians are revered as invincible healers—pillars of strength, wisdom, and resilience. We bear the immense responsibility of safeguarding the health and lives of others. But behind the white coats and professional facades, doctors are human too, grappling with the same vulnerabilities as anyone else.
Social connection is good for us. Loss of social connection is a major causative factor in physician burnout. In this article we explore social connection for physician burnout, offering a number of suggestions to reach out and connect for your own wellbeing.
“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.
I do my best thinking in the quiet, calmness of nature – with space to breathe and observe the beauty of the world around us. I perform best when I have time to think, process, and move at ease with intention. For years, I pushed myself to move faster – with an urgency that was getting me places faster- only to realize I was missing the opportunity to enjoy the journey and the destinations were not where I wanted to be.
Medical residents’ mental health deteriorates during their training, but there are solutions to this resident burnout epidemic.
Women physicians still face disproportionate challenges within their medical careers compared to men. In part 2 we illustrate general and woman-specific strategies to combat female physician burnout.