FROM BURNOUT TO BRIGHTNESS - MOVING FORWARD OUT OF BURNOUT AND INTO THE LIGHT OF A NEW YEAR AND NEW BEGINNINGS
My burnout story began when I was several years into solo private practice . I was on call 24 / 7 . The daily grind of being the solo provider began affecting my personal health . I spent long hours in the evening investing in the business side of medicine after spending my daytime hours pouring into the needs of my patients . The harder I worked , the less satisfied I felt . I became less patient , more critical and had lost enjoyment in my professional and personal life . Insurance reimbursement cuts and lack of interest on their part in negotiating with a small practice left me closing my doors . The outcome was unexpected and devastating .
My journey continued as I was no longer an employer and became a hospital employed physician . There were a variety of challenges that came with this transition and learning this new team structure and its different dynamics . Abruptly going from being agile , quick and having a lot of influence and control in solo private practice , to being part of a large system with less influence and control , left me frustrated . I knew that something had to change . I began to look inward and made small changes in my daily habits , which made a significant impact on my mental and physical well-being . It has been an ongoing journey administering self-care .
Frequently , people tell their story of recovery , redemption and freedom after they have been living on the other side of the fence for a while . Although I am not fully recovered from burnout , I am on the path to recovery . I have been taking better care of myself . Although I still have plenty of work to do and tough terrain to navigate in my life , I now taste the peace of well-being more often .
That ’ s why I am excited to announce that the Greater Louisville Medical Society Foundation has created a four-part Wellness Wednesday Webinar series , which starts this month and will include one webinar each month from now through April . We have an amazing lineup of speakers who have a tremendous amount of experiential wisdom to share with all of us . January features Dr . Shawn Jones who will be talking about burnout and creating your own plan to wellness . February features Dr . Tom Hustead who will be talking about the interdependence of physician wellness and physician leadership . In March , Dr . Steve Sartori will be educating
4 LOUISVILLE MEDICINE us on the value and return on investment of coaching . And we conclude in April with Dr . Tiffany Spanier talking about mindfulness .
Please be sure to tune in to listen to the important messages from each of these speakers . Each of these webinars is certified for one credit hour of CME ( totaling up to four hours if you choose to complete them all ). They will be live on Jan . 5 , Feb . 2 , March 2 and April 6 from 7:00 a . m . to 8:00 a . m .
Dr . Shawn Jones who will be speaking in January is well-known by many of his colleagues around Kentucky . He has a wonderful and powerful story of redemption and wellness which he shared with the world in his book , Finding Heart in Art . He now serves as the Chief Wellness Officer for Baptist Health . He will be focusing on the solution to physician burnout , which is physician well-being .
As over 50 % of physicians experience burnout symptoms , we either recognize our own burnout or we may see it in the person next to us . If you believe you have not been experiencing any burnout yourself , you may want to consider asking a trusted family member or close friend to take this quiz offered by the American Medical Association Alliance . https :// amaa . memberclicks . net / assets / docs / physican % 20burnout % 20quiz % 20final . pdf . You may be surprised at your score . I scored in the burnout range .
I am thankful for people like Dr . Shawn Jones , who has been living liberated and free for a while now and is helping lead others by shining the light of hope on the map to well-being so we can better see our way to that same place of peace , joy and freedom . Please make sure to tune in to hear from Dr . Jones this month , a living legend , as he shows us how to create our own map to the personal liberty and freedom we were meant to enjoy . If you have any symptoms of burnout or think you may be at risk of developing symptoms , please watch this webinar . If you see colleagues who are struggling , please make them aware of this important opportunity .
Although we too often feel separated from one another , the truth is that we are all united together as one team on this adventure called life .
Dr . Sosnin is a primary care physician practicing with ProactiveMD , Greater Clark County Schools .