The Physician Lifeline August 2024
Terms Every Doctor Should Know About Physician Burnout
By: Sara Berg, MS, AMA News Editor
Unfortunately, doctors know all too well about physician burnout and its impact on medicine. With most American physicians experiencing some sign of burnout, it is a condition that affects all specialties and all practice settings.
While you’ve most certainly heard of physician burnout, what other terms are important to know? Here is a convenient glossary to help guide you through different aspects of physician burnout and how the AMA is fighting to improve the well-being of doctors in a broken system.
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How to Overcome Early Career Physician Setbacks & Thrive in Recovery
By: Courtney Barrows McKeown, MD
In the earlier article entitled “Overcoming Addiction in Residency & Fellowship,” I shared my past struggles with substance use disorder during training, including a relapse during my fellowship, which led to some severe consequences: a career earthquake, if you will. This was my rock bottom.
As I write this piece, I am coming up on three years of sobriety, and am so grateful for how much better life is today as a result. My career as a surgeon was not over as it turns out – instead, we’re just getting started. I am a board-certified general surgeon, and am about to start a job that seemed like a faraway fantasy a couple of years ago. I realize now that these opportunities are not possible unless I put my recovery first.
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Burnout Falls, But Still Hits These 6 Physician Specialties Most
By: Sara Berg, MS, AMA News Editor
Picture a pediatrician whose days were once filled with the joy of helping children who is now struggling to find meaning in medicine. Imagine an emergency physician, the epitome of calm under pressure, feeling the weight of unrelenting stress. This is doctor burnout, and certain physician specialties have become particularly vulnerable to this pervasive problem, according to an exclusive survey from the AMA.
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