Mark Linzer, MD, Director of the Division of General Internal Medicine at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, is an expert in physician burnout, having studied the issue for almost two decades. Dr. Linzer recommends to be aware of the serious signs, if physicians want to keep burnout at bay. Here are seven ways to know if your practice is getting the best of you—and when it’s time to do something about it:
7 Burnout Risk Indicators Awareness Poster
- You have a high tolerance to stress.
- Your practice is exceptionally chaotic.
- You don’t agree with your boss’ values or leadership.
- You’re the emotional buffer.
- Your job constantly interferes with family events.
- You lack control over your work schedule and free time.
- You don’t take care of yourself.
Read more the details of these seven signs of physician burnout online at the AMA Wire.
Studies show burnout is more prevalent among physicians than other professionals, so knowing these warning signs is an important first step in resolving the issue. The next steps are to develop a support system and to get help in building resiliency. Our 2015 survey on Physician Stress and Burnout completed by over 2,000 physicians reported only 18.5% of Physicians believe their organizations are helping to deal effectively with this issue and over half, 52.2%, say they find it difficult to find time to use the initiatives offered.
Download the full report and the "7 Burnout Risk Indicators Awareness Poster" by clicking here.
Organizations can provide needed support to address this issue. Dr. Linzer says, “Burnout doesn’t have to be highly expensive to fix. The problem is that no one is listening. People always want to say that physician wellness and performance measures will cost a lot of money, but preventing burnout can actually save money in the long run on recruiting and training new practice staff.”
We Can Help
VITAL WorkLife has solutions for helping both individual physicians and their organizations with proactive, preventative programs, as well as solutions for times of crisis or when an intervention is needed. Contact us to learn more!
Members of our Physician/Provider Well Being Resources can access resources through the VITAL WorkLife App or by calling 877.731.3949.
