
The doctor WON'T be with you right now.
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What if you went to the ER in the middle of the night and there was no doctor there to treat you?
Imagine if you needed to take your child to the pediatrician but you couldn't get an appointment for ten months because of a physician shortage.
Do these scenarios sound fanciful? Perhaps, but they are not far from the reality that over 50% of physicians report feeling burnt out. If you have been following my posts you know that burnout is not exclusive to physicians. Nurses, Physician Assistants, Nurse Practitioners, Pharmacists, and Dentists all experience burnout as well.
The article attached is a very interesting and short read. Here are my important takeaways:
· The three medical specialties with the highest burnout are: Emergency Medicine, Internal Medicine and Pediatrics
· The specialty with the lowest burnout rate is orthopedics, still at a whopping 46%
· Female physicians experience burnout at higher rates (65% vs 45%)
· Biggest identified causes of burnout = bureaucratic tasks (EHR charting), lack of respect from colleagues, and long work hours
It is no surprise that burnout is plaguing our healthcare professionals. In fact, if you are reading this post it is highly likely you have experienced, or continue to experience, burnout yourself. It is a huge problem but it is not getting ignored (at least by some). There are many individuals who are dedicated to fighting this battle like: Jonathan Fisher, MD, FACC, Charity Hix, MD, and Michael Hersh, MD. In addition, companies like Abridge (Tina Shah MD MPH) are working to leverage technology and decreased the charting burden that contributes significantly to burnout.
All of this being said, there is hope that change can happen. It won’t be easy, but it is possible. Let’s work together to make the significant and lasting changes that are required so that we can support our medical professionals now, and in the future.