Career and Life Planning Guidebook for Medical Residents

SECTION I: T MINUS THREE YEARS “If healthcare providers aren’t well, it’s hard to heal the people for whom they are caring.” – Dr. Vivek Murthy, former Surgeon General of the United States R E A D : Burnout by the Numbers In spite of increased awareness, burnout amongst physicians has reached epidemic proportions. Multiple national studies suggest that 50% or more of physicians in the U.S. are experiencing symptoms related to burnout. In 2015, a Medscape survey of more than 20,000 physicians across 26 specialties in the U.S. revealed that burnout was reported in nearly 46% of the survey participants, up from 39.8% in 2013. 2 Between 2011 and 2014, the percentage of physicians reporting at least one burnout symptom increased from 45.5 to 54.4%, 3 with some specialties being hit harder than others. Additional surveys have noted rises in burnout rates amongst surgeons, emergency room physicians, critical care physicians, urologists, and pediatricians. 5 Even physician specialties which tend to have lower rates of burnout are still significantly higher in prevalence than professionals in other industries. Data indicates that when students enter medical school, they are more well-adjusted than their age-matched peers. However, a national survey published in Academic Medicine found that burnout “appears common among U.S. medical students and may increase by year of schooling.” In addition to work-related stress, the study found that “personal life events also demonstrated a strong relationship to professional burnout.” Compared to college graduates of the same age, students in medical school reported higher rates of burnout in the study. 6 In a related survey, medical students, residents, fellows, and early career physicians were all more likely to exhibit traits of burnout compared to college graduates pursuing other careers. Additionally, medical students and residents were more likely to exhibit symptoms of depression compared to the control group. 7 In a survey published in 2017 from a single institution, 69% of 504 resident respondents met criteria for burnout. This disease does not discriminate, as rates were similar across age, gender, ethnicity, and marital status. Like their attending counterparts, rates of burnout vary by specialty during residency. General surgery residents have the highest burnout rates, followed by residents in radiology, surgical subspecialties, anesthesiology, and internal medicine. On at least one subscale of the Maslach Burnout Inventory—a validated tool considered to be the leading measure of burnout—69% of residents in general surgery met the criteria for burnout. 8 Despite the overwhelming evidence that burnout is rampant amongst residency programs, program directors often underestimate just how many of their residents are affected. CAREER AND LIFE PLANNING GUIDEBOOK FOR MEDICAL RESIDENTS 32