Career and Life Planning Guidebook for Medical Residents

Physician Burnout Burnout is surprisingly prevalent among physicians in training, far exceeding the estimates of program directors. In a 2014 survey of 504 medical residents at University of North Carolina, 70% met criteria for burnout based on the Maslach Burnout Inventory, a common tool used to assess burnout. Over half of all physicians suffer from burnout, which is characterized by depersonalization, loss of enthusiasm for the profession, and cynicism. This devastating emotional disease adversely impacts physicians’ personal and professional lives, with potentially catastrophic consequences for the patients in their care. Fortunately, there is hope for breaking this cycle. Shawn Jones, MD, practicing physician and author of “Finding Heart in Art – A Surgeon’s Renaissance Approach to Healing Modern Medical Burnout” and Sharee Saleh, Director of Physician Recruitment at Tower Health have teamed up to teach you how to prevent burnout while bringing joy back to medicine. 1. An insider’s perspective 2. Burnout by the numbers 3. Primary drivers of physician burnout 4. You know it when you see it: identifying symptoms of burnout in training and beyond 5. Consequences of burnout 6. Factors that mitigate burnout 7. Identify prospective employers who support physician wellness and have strong burnout prevention programs 8. Restore joy to the practice of medicine: finding meaning and purpose in your work • Identify the symptoms of burnout, including its effects and complications during residency and beyond. • Identify proven burnout prevention techniques for residents at all levels. • Identify prospective employers who emphasize physician wellness and have established physician burnout prevention programs in place. • Determine whether you are currently experiencing physician burnout via an online assessment. • Create boundaries – saying no with grace and power. • Identify resource communities who support physician burnout. L E T ’ S G E T S T A R T E D In This Chapter O U T L I N E G O A L S 29 WWW.PHYSICIANCAREERPLANNING.COM