Dr. Daniels: “These are people who want to do it all … and you can’t makethem delegate every task, and many tasks can’t be delegated.”
But there is something. “Work by Khaled Saleh, M.D. found thatfor orthopedic chairs in particular, strong personal relationships—especially relationships with spouses or children—were among the most powerful protective factors against emotional exhaustion.”
Another interesting finding from Dr. Daniels’ work was that faculty at larger programs are more likely to display symptoms of loneliness and increased irritability. “Perhaps young people who train at a large facility simply get lost in the shuffle. They feel the loss of community and unfortunately have an isolating experience at work.”
So, surgeons feel a loss of control … and perhaps those at the helm feel a loss of control as far as how to handle this worrisome trend.
Enter the Maslach Burnout Inventory Human Services Survey for Medical Personnel, a research-based tool that measures emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment.
Dr. Daniels: “It could be possible to implement mass screenings of orthopedic surgeons using this inventory at the hospital level during the credentialing or annual retraining process, although the credentialing process is already so arduous that adding more questions about burnout will only increase the work load on already time-strapped physicians! We could also add the questionnaire to standard residency surveillance activities.”
It’s not surprising, says Dr. Daniels, that physicians are burning out. “Orthopedic surgeons feel burdened by senseless paperwork and seemingly useless meetings and so often do not feel part of any community.”
Controlling the Uncontrollable
Adding to the difficulties is the fact that surgeons are take-control people—not exactly the type to emit a cry for help. “Because surgeons won’t to admit that they need help, it is often too late before anyone realizes they are burned out. For residents, a mentorship model would be helpful, as the person could look up to someone with a healthy work-life balance.”
“At the faculty level, our findings show that decreased burnout was correlated with increased perception of a supportive work environment, having a mentor, getting acceptance into a national specialty organization, and the absence of personal issues in the workplace.”
And little is more personal than your gender. “Because orthopedics is a traditionally male-dominated arena, women may feel that they have to conform to male culture, which is to suppress any feelings of stress or burnout.”
But male or female, there are proven methods that, implemented regularly, will reduce your chance of completing flaming out. “Take the athlete model,” says Dr. Daniels. “They are taught to proactively handle moments when their performance isn’t what they hoped for. These tools involve things such as meditation, deep breathing, and visualization.”
“All of this is very understandable … spending three hours per night charting is not rewarding and is not why someone entered the medical field.”
Sheila K. Collins, Ph.D., a writer, speaker and author of, “Stillpoint: A Self-Care Playbook for Caregivers to Find Ease, and Time to Breathe, and Reclaim Joy” explained to OTWthat “burnout is the natural culmination of overwork, lack of support, and a host of other things that cause a person to spiral into something that mimics—or truly is—depression. Very few people are actually taught selfcare skills—we are taught to just keep going.”
