So the new year is near, and physicians everywhere are planning to make 2024 an even better one. Our intentions may be to engage in more self-care, develop a better LIFE-work-balance, and learn about ourselves in an “examined life”. In this context, the debate between therapy and coaching for physicians takes center stage, raising important questions about the most suitable approach for addressing the unique challenges faced by medical professionals.

As a trained psychiatrist, workaholic, depressive, and (formerly) excellent clinician, I’ve come to the following maxim with apologies to REM: “Everybody needs a little therapy (sometimes)”. As the year winds down and the nights draw in, we are taking time to reflect on 2023. Over the next weeks over the Holidays and after we ring in the new year, Physicians Anonymous will be publishing a series on self-examination.

We’ve achieved a TON in 2023, especially as we are self-funded and run by volunteers. So from 2024- HOW do we reach the suffering physician? How do we let our colleagues know that there is a safe place where they can be human first, healer second? Where they will not be judged, but they will be heard and loved. Where we can laugh and cry together bonded by the commonality of being wounded healers.

Unlike overt resignations, quiet quitting manifests as a subtle withdrawal, marked by disengagement and diminished job satisfaction. To effectively address this issue, it is imperative to delve into the scale of the problem, understand the causes behind this quiet exodus, and propose actionable solutions tailored to mitigate its impact.

As I sit down to reflect on my decision to quit a toxic hospital workplace, I’m overwhelmed by a mix of emotions – relief, anger, and sadness. Leaving a career I had worked so hard for, after just three years as an attending physician, was not an easy choice.

I had lots of ideas about the root causes of my burnout and how my institution could address them. Don’t tell me to take a yoga class, fix the damn EMR!

Burnout almost led me to take my own life. It destroyed my identity as a surgeon. My medical identity and my life were so enmeshed that losing medicine caused me to mourn my own death. From this low point, I have rebuilt. With lots of intensive therapy, and regular mindfulness and other wellness practices I’ve been able to rise from the depths.

The latest US Physician Burnout & Depression Report (2023) from Medscape finds that physician burnout and depression are worsening. More than half of physicians (52%) reported that they are burned out and nearly 1 in 4 reporting that they are clinically depressed.

Recognizing the critical need for support and coping mechanisms, physician-led peer debriefing has emerged as a promising approach to alleviate the stress and emotional strain physicians face daily.

Doctors, nurses, and other healthcare heroes are often seen as invincible. We’re the ones who care, but who takes care of us?

In a world that constantly demands excellence, where the pursuit of perfection is the norm, there lies a secret joy hidden in the unlikeliest of places – the realm of mediocrity in medicine.

How an obsession with success can lead to physician burnout; and strategies for mitigation

Why do we need laws? After all, hospitals and healthcare businesses know all about the corporate risks of overwork! We argue that without legislation to force safety, nothing will change because little, if anything, has changed to protect healthcare staff from overwork.

I have so many regrets about my medical career that I don’t even know where to begin. And I am not alone. We all make mistakes, give suboptimal service, have off days, or (most often, in my experience), nature wins. The cancer progresses. The psychosis relapses. The diabetes complicates. So am I going to wallow in them and feel sorry for myself? Or is there another way of dealing with regrets in my career as a doctor?

For so many reasons the term “disruptive doctor” is unhelpful at best, cruel and discriminatory at worst. As a label it has been used and misused. Very few physicians start out disruptive. The reality is that disruptive behavior in physicians is often a symptom of a larger systemic problem. It may be related to stress, burnout, mental health issues, addiction, and more.