The 5 Causes of Physician Burnout and How to Address Them

If you’re a physician, chances are you’ve experienced burnout at some point in your career. In fact, studies show that upwards of 50% of doctors report feeling symptoms of burnout. So, what exactly is burnout? And more importantly, what can be done to address it? Let’s take a look.

Symptoms of physician burnout include: feeling exhausted or drained most of the time, loss of interest in work, increased cynicism or negativity towards patients, and decreased satisfaction with one’s job. While the causes of burnout vary from person to person, there are five main factors that contribute to its development:

Five main factors that contribute to physician burnout:

1. Lack of control over one’s work schedule.
2. Excessive paperwork or administrative burden.
3. Lack of autonomy in patient care.
4. Inadequate compensation.
5. Feeling devalued or unappreciated by patients or superiors.

These are all valid concerns that need to be addressed in order to prevent physician burnout.

So, what can be done? Here are a few suggestions:

1. Schedule regular check-ins to review your workload and identify areas where you feel like you could use more support.
2. Streamline your administrative processes as much as possible so that you’re not spending hours on the paperwork that could be spent seeing patients.
3. Make sure you’re taking the time to nurture your relationships outside of work so that you have a strong support system to lean on.
4. Be cautious about saying “yes” to every request that’s made of you—learn to set boundaries so that you’re not overstretched and bogged down by too many commitments.
5. And finally, don’t forget to show appreciation for yourself! Cut yourself some slack every once in a while and give yourself credit for the great work that you do—you deserve it!

Burnout is a very real problem for physicians, but it doesn’t have to be an inevitable part of the job. By being aware of the causes and taking proactive steps to address them, you can preserve your sense of enthusiasm for your work and prevent burnout before it has a chance to take hold.