Page 43 - Delaware Medical Journal - July-August 2018

• Pressure resulting from the increasing consolidation into larger group practices or health systems, and away from independent practice.
• The “programming” physicians receive during their medical training
— many feel pressure
to be a “superhero, workaholic, lone ranger or perfectionist,” says Drummond.
• Shortages of personnel, money and equipment.
• The demands of an unusually high-stress profession competing with the usual stressors in a person’s life — “family, money, staying in shape, making time for sleep
and vacations,” says Drummond.
RECOGNIZING THE SIGNS
Telltale signs of being burned out include “exhaustion, dreading going to work, getting angry at little things, hoping you get hit by a car
on the way so you won’t have to see patients today,” says Drummond. Physicians experiencing burnout also may be overly sarcastic or spend a lot of time venting about their patients, he adds.
“Physicians have a tendency to detach themselves more when they get burnout,” says Hudson. “They become their sense of purpose and
mission.” Chronic lateness is another warning sign, he adds. “They’re late to get
get to the operating room. Other doctors are constantly looking for a way out. It’s said that roughly half of physicians are looking for something other than what they’re doing. One of the most common questions I get asked is, do you know anything about moving to New Zealand?”
Recognizing these signs and breaking through them starts with pushing the “unmute” button on your own feelings, says Vanessa Downing,
PhD, Director of Content Development & Training at Christiana Care’s Center for Provider Wellbeing. “This can sound remedial, but
it’s not, for people who are so highly skilled at putting she says. “Physicians have these layers of incentives
to not even ask themselves, how am I doing? Am I hungry? Thirsty? A lot of our education [at the center] starts at that most basic level.”
YOU’RE BURNED OUT. NOW WHAT?
Burnout often goes
along with a feeling of powerlessness to change your own situation or make a difference in your environment. However, the experts say there are in fact a number of steps you can take:
MSDIS FOCUS FEATURE
Telltale signs of being burned out include “exhaustion, dreading going to work, getting angry at little things, hoping you get hit by a car on the way so you won’t have to see patients today.”
Put your thoughts in writing. Drummond suggests you ask yourself what your ideal job description would look like. Then, write it
down and start considering what adjustments you can make to get closer to that ideal. Similarly, write down a plan for your week ahead of time. What do you want to accomplish, and how much time do you want to spend on it? Perhaps most importantly, “include life activities
and recharge time,” says Drummond.
Prioritize the tasks you dread. A lot of physicians feel overwhelmed in
part because they keep procrastinating on tasks they dislike, such as paperwork. The solution? Tackle those “Do what Mark Twain said: ‘If you have to eat a frog, do
Make home a work- free space. If you feel
like your day is too short
to get everything done, go
in half an hour earlier in
the morning, says Hudson. But whatever you do, don’t bring work home with you. “You’ll never have a break,” he says. “I used to live in the
mountains and drive home through a canyon. I used
to see it symbolically as going through and lifting the burden of the day.”
Refocus on your relationships. “Physicians who are in stable home relationships do much better when they’re confronted
with the death of a patient
or a malpractice suit,” says Hudson. “Part of our problem is that we tend to neglect relationships until we need them, and then they’re
not there. If you’re in a relationship, put some effort into it.”
Get outside perspectives. This could involve holding a meeting with your team or your superiors
to brainstorm ways the
overall workload can be better distributed, says Drummond. It could also involve talking to a coach or mentor.
Take more electronic recordkeeping off your plate. Are you taking templates? A fully templated electronic medical record can be a big timesaver, says Drummond. If you can, hire a medical scribe to help with EMR tasks.
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