Physician Burnout

Burnout is an epidemic for physicians – the headline screamed at me

What was considered an individual flaw had now become a rampant malady?

I wondered how that had happened, and how the issue had blown

To reach epidemic proportions- clearly I was not alone

In feeling burnt out with increasing frequency

But I had thought it was my inadequacy

To deal with the changing landscape in healthcare

That it was being measured and discussed, I had not been aware

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It has been a while since I encountered that headline

I read extensively on how burnout was defined

And what I could change to reduce feelings of burnout

I implemented some of them, but I’m still in doubt

Whether burnout can at an individual level be addressed

Its systemic causes need to be identified and addressed

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Before I knew the statistics on physician burnout

I had been embarrassed to even think about

Cutting down my workload or even quitting medicine some day

From a profession that was my identity, how could I walk away?

But reading that article was like getting validation

For my experience, to know there were others in my situation

Gave me a sense of community, though I reached out to no one

And also gave me hope that something at a system-wide level would be done

To address this epidemic spreading fast

I hope there shall be changes that last