How Can Doctors Recognize Signs of Burnout?
- Oftentimes, because of how physicians are trained, they don’t recognize the signs of physical burnout until the problem has been ongoing for some time.
- This can lead to emotional burnout, where doctors are disengaged from their work.
- Clinical psychologist, Dr. Marianna Strongin, stressed how important it is for doctors to know the signs of physical burnout, like malaise, a lack of motivation, and sleepiness.
- Sometimes, workplace adjustments are needed to combat burnout.
“They have trained themselves to work while being physically exhausted,” Dr. Marianna Strongin, a clinical psychologist, told SurvivorNet. “So, oftentimes, when we see it, they are already emotionally exhausted and what that means for them is they are less likely to feel empathy and to feel patient with their patients.”
Read More- A tired feeling throughout the body
- Tired eyes
- Stiff shoulders
- Malaise (general discomfort)
- Boredom/lack of motivation
- Sleepiness
- Impatience
“When interviews are done with doctors in regards to burnout, one of the things that they find is that doctors spend a great deal of time doing work that they are not meant to be doing, which is a lot of paperwork, and that usually causes quite a bit of exhaustion.”
Some hospitals have taken steps to avoid this type of burnout, by reorganizing their doctors’ days or making sure to give employees chunks of time off, instead of just one day.
“There are hospitals that give a good chunk of time off so that people can really disconnect, because if you take a few days off here and there, you’re never really disconnected, and you can never really recharge,” she said.
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