Colin West

9/ Next week I will report on a new study on an interesting GME issue that I don’t think we consider enough – I found our results shocking, and I hope they serve as a call to action. What is the issue? It’s under embargo so I can’t say, but all will be revealed in 7 short days /fin

8/ There is much more in this paper, well worth reading and bookmarking for both its primary content and its reference list
www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S002...

7/ As for the other papers in this series, there is a rich table outlining these challenges and potential organizational solutions to address them. I will continue to emphasize that sustaining and strengthening resilience is relevant but CANNOT be the primary solution to physician well-being

6/ Within these challenges, literature on approaches to support this particular group of physicians is surprisingly scarce – professional coaching, leadership development programs, and peer support all seem useful, though

5/ Training program cohorts disperse, and social isolation may worsen … exacerbated by increasing work responsibilities and continued long hours with additional “discretionary effort” expectations

4/ Mid-career physicians also may assume greater responsibility for learners and mentees – especially challenging in the current climate for academia and grant funding

3/ Leadership responsibilities often become greater, commonly in “middle management” roles with constrained autonomy

2/ Mid-career is often characterized by transitions from greater support to greater responsibility, at a time when non-work roles remain demanding … the results may include higher levels of emotional exhaustion and overall burnout

1/ Welcome to Edition 283 of West’s Well-Being Wednesday! Today, the third in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings series on well-being across the stages of a medical career, today: mid-career
www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S002...

9/ What does all this mean? Physicians are human, and our work places us at risk for serious issues such as social isolation. Efforts to promote physician well-being need to include attention to building community, connection, and belonging to mitigate these risks

Social Isolation and Burnout, Professional Fulfillment, and Suicidal Ideation Among US Physicians To determine the degree of social isolation experienced by US physicians and evaluate the relationship of social isolation with personal and professional characteristics, burnout, professional fulfill...

7/ Social isolation was strongly associated with burnout, lower professional fulfillment, and suicidal ideation -- I can't share the figure due to institutional security settings, argh! It's the only figure in the paper, though
www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S002...

6/ Based on a single item derivative of the larger social isolation instrument, physicians were markedly more likely than the general employed population to report social isolation: OR 1.28, 95% CI 1.15-1.43, p<.001

3/ Social isolation and loneliness are public health issues highlighted by the 2023 US Surgeon General’s Advisory
www.hhs.gov/sites/defaul...

YouTube video by Mayo Proceedings Social Isolation, Burnout, Professional Fulfillment, and Suicidal Ideation Among US Physicians

2/ For a brief video summary, check out this link
youtu.be/9BwXpAMvyXc

Social Isolation and Burnout, Professional Fulfillment, and Suicidal Ideation Among US Physicians To determine the degree of social isolation experienced by US physicians and evaluate the relationship of social isolation with personal and professional characteristics, burnout, professional fulfill...

1/ Welcome to Edition 282 of West’s Well-Being Wednesday! Today, I’ll summarize our national study of social isolation among physicians
Social Isolation and Burnout, Professional Fulfillment, and Suicidal Ideation Among US Physicians
www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S002...

10/ Next week, back to the Mayo Clinic Proceedings series on well-being across physician career stages – next up is mid-career /fin

9/ What does all this mean? Physicians are human, and our work places us at risk for serious issues such as social isolation. Efforts to promote physician well-being need to include attention to building community, connection, and belonging to mitigate these risks

8/ Risk was notably higher for women physicians and those in early- and mid-career stages, along with unmarried physicians

Social Isolation and Burnout, Professional Fulfillment, and Suicidal Ideation Among US Physicians To determine the degree of social isolation experienced by US physicians and evaluate the relationship of social isolation with personal and professional characteristics, burnout, professional fulfill...

7/ Social isolation was strongly associated with burnout, lower professional fulfillment, and suicidal ideation -- I can't share the figure due to institutional security settings, argh! It's the only figure in the paper, though
www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S002...

6/ Based on a single item derivative of the larger social isolation instrument, physicians were markedly more likely than the general employed population to report social isolation: OR 1.28, 95% CI 1.15-1.43, p<.001

5/ Using standard measures, we report on 3103 US physicians, exploring social isolation, burnout, professional fulfillment, and suicidal ideation

4/ Lack of social connection is associated with heart disease, mental health issues, and early mortality … but how might this affect physicians and relate to work experiences such as burnout?

3/ Social isolation and loneliness are public health issues highlighted by the 2023 US Surgeon General’s Advisory
www.hhs.gov/sites/defaul...

YouTube video by Mayo Proceedings Social Isolation, Burnout, Professional Fulfillment, and Suicidal Ideation Among US Physicians

2/ For a brief video summary, check out this link
youtu.be/9BwXpAMvyXc

Social Isolation and Burnout, Professional Fulfillment, and Suicidal Ideation Among US Physicians To determine the degree of social isolation experienced by US physicians and evaluate the relationship of social isolation with personal and professional characteristics, burnout, professional fulfill...

1/ Welcome to Edition 282 of West’s Well-Being Wednesday! Today, I’ll summarize our national study of social isolation among physicians
Social Isolation and Burnout, Professional Fulfillment, and Suicidal Ideation Among US Physicians
www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S002...

The Early Career Phase: Fostering Physician Well-being Over the Career Life Cycle This article is the second chapter in a series of 5 articles considering the different stages of physicians’ career life cycle. The present article fo…

7/ There is much more in this paper, well worth reading and bookmarking for both its primary content and its reference list
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Childbearing, Infertility, and Career Trajectories Among Women in Medicine This survey study investigates delays in childbearing and rates of infertility among women physicians.

6/ For women physicians, fertility concerns are a common factor during the early career stage as well
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

Physician Coaching by Professionally Trained Peers for Burnout and Well-Being This randomized clinical trial explores the effect of individualized coaching by professionally trained peers on physician burnout and well-being.

5/ Professional coaching can be helpful, and has been associated with multiple benefits for physician well-being in numerous studies. One example:
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

Physician Task Load and the Risk of Burnout Among US Physicians in a National Survey Cognitive task load can affect providers’ ability to perform their job well and may contribute to burnout.The researchers evaluated whether task load,…

4/ Cognitive load may peak early as important career skills are developed, and is also strongly associated with burnout
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Imposter Phenomenon in US Physicians Relative to the US Working Population To determine the prevalence of imposter phenomenon (IP) experiences among physicians and evaluate their relationship to personal and professional char…

3/ Imposter phenomenon may be particularly prevalent in the early career stage, and is associated with burnout
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...