he found out the hard way that he was taking too much of his burden home . He warned , “ Physicians need to watch for this . My 13-yearold son is in counseling now because he got to a point where he just didn ’ t want to have an opinion . He became passive and apologetic . When we got to the bottom of it , he was seeing what a nightmarish time I was having , and he didn ’ t want to rock the boat . I wasn ’ t coming home yelling at him or being angry , but he could see that maybe I was shorter than usual , or I would cry at things – I ’ ve never been a crier . He just wanted to make life at home so perfect because he knew what I was dealing with at work . Even if I went into another room , kids are smart . It ’ s heartbreaking to see your son try to parent you and try to be the counselor to you . Whatever way I can get home and leave it at work , I ’ ve tried to do a better job at that .”
But how do you decompress from the stressful workday if you can ’ t bring the job home ? For Dr . Bolding , a faith-based addiction recovery ministry has helped . “ You know , physicians are a group that tries to handle things on our own . We need to lean on others who have training in this area ,” he said . “ Celebrate Recovery works not specifically toward alcohol and drug addiction , but toward everything else . It ’ s for whatever your bad habit or struggle is , and it ’ s about breaking patterns of behavior . I went through steps with the group before the pandemic started and finished the steps during the first year . I can ’ t credit that enough . I think mainly that helped me not to turn to unhealthy habits when overstressed .”
To help relieve stress , Dr . Bolding runs three to five days a week in between patient care and has begun spending time in his backyard photographing birds . He also spends time offering vaccination-related advice on social media . “ I enjoy just getting the message out there and hearing people say they ’ ve been vaccinated ,” he said . “ Other things that help me through include patients that have messaged me with a ‘ thank you ,’ people in the community sending lunch , people telling our nurses , ‘ Thank you . We see you .’ These things remind me that we ’ re not alone .”
Overcoming Burnout – A Little Help , Please
Ample research confirms a prevalence of burnout among physicians . Colin West , MD , PhD , is a professor of medicine , medical education , and biostatistics for The Mayo Clinic . In a July 2020 JAMA Network Open article , he noted recent national data suggesting that 44 % of U . S . physicians experience symptoms of burnout , characterized by emotional exhaustion and / or depersonalization , at least weekly .
Increasing personal resiliency is often mentioned as a remedy for professional burnout , and we ’ ve seen through Drs . Novack ’ s and Bolding ’ s experiences the importance of building that individual resiliency . However , Dr . West stressed that physician burnout isn ’ t necessarily a reflection on a physician ’ s level of personal resiliency . In conducting research * related to physicians and how their resiliency levels compare with that of the general working public , West and others found that physicians are fairly resilient ( 6.49 on a scale of 8 ).
In a February 2021 American Medical Association webinar titled , “ Physician burnout : It ’ s not a resiliency deficit ,” Dr . West touched on the importance of both the individual and organizational sides to nurturing resiliency . “ Selfcare is important , relationships are important , and for different people , there are different aspects of mindfulness traditions or spirituality that can be important ,” he stated . “ All of that said around individual strategies , there is a risk to an exclusively individual focus , and the concern is that this could actually deepen cynicism among physicians and other health care professionals through the perceived message that physicians have to ‘ toughen up ’ to cope with their working environment rather than addressing the working environment itself .”
To become more resilient organizationally , Dr . West suggested that medical systems work on being value-oriented ; providing adequate resources for physicians ; promoting autonomy and flexibility in work-life balance ; and promoting meaning , value , and purpose .
So what does “ system ” help for physicians and health care workers look like here in Arkansas ? See our sidebar to see how one of our state ’ s health systems works to nurture resiliency and sow support in its physicians and all medical staff .
Sources and Additional Resources
For more on burnout as it relates to physicians and resources to help with physician wellness within your organization , see our March 2021 Journal and these other helpful resources :
Articles and Webinars on Medical Burnout During COVID-19 https :// www . aamc . org / news-insights / medicalburnout-breaking-bad
https :// www . washingtonpost . com / health / 2021 / 08 / 05 / arkansas-covid-burnout-nurses /
JAMA Netw Open . 2020 ; 3 ( 7 ): e209385 . doi : 10.1001 / jamanetworkopen . 2020.9385 https :// www . ama-assn . org / practicemanagement / physician-health / 5-solutionshelp-ease-physicians-covid-19-burnout
* AMA STEPS Forward™ Webinar ( Feb 2021 )
“ Physician burnout : It ’ s not a resiliency deficit ,” Colin West , MD , PhD , and Christine Sinsky , MD
https :// www . youtube . com / watch ? v = p-IZFEzYqq0
Also mentioned in this webinar is the research done as part of an ongoing AMA-Mayo-Stanford partnership to conduct periodic national surveys of physician well-being in comparison to other individuals in the U . S . working population .
https :// www . kff . org / report-section / kff-the- washington-post-frontline-health-care-workers- survey-toll-of-the-pandemic /
Need Help Personally ?
The Arkansas Medical Foundation offers a wealth of resources for physicians in need of support .
https :// arkmedfoundation . org / forms-resources .
Support Line for Physicians 1-888-409-0141
The Physician Support Line is a free and confidential support line for physicians , staffed by over 600 volunteer psychiatrists . The website explains , “ Because there is no formal doctor-patient relationship established , the call does not have to be reported to any medical board as therapy .”
The service is only for physicians , but the website states that a similar service available to all front-line health care workers and first responders . 1-800-327-7451 ( TTY 711 )
106 • The Journal of the Arkansas Medical Society www . ArkMed . org