Insights on Residency Training

May 4th, 2022

Insights from the AAFP Physician Health and Well-Being Conference

Mikita Arora, MD

Physician well-being has long been an issue in all medical fields, but especially in primary care — the concept of well-being is to heal the healers. Right now, this is especially important to those who have are burdened with burnout and the COVID-19 pandemic. A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to attend the […]

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April 19th, 2022

Calling out Impostor Syndrome

Abdullah Al-abcha, MD

As chief resident, I have been in a position to observe and mentor students, interns, and residents. I have always believed in the importance of recognition and support in a workplace. On a recent encounter with an intern, as I was praising her for her work, she responded rather unexpectedly! She thanked me for recognizing […]

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December 31st, 2020

What Time Is It?

Sneha Shah, MD

How many minutes have you given yourself to read this post? There was a time when none of us could tell time. Imagine not knowing what the ever-moving hands of a clock are trying to reveal. My memories skew, but in that era before I could tell time, all I remember is laughter, effervescence, and […]

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October 26th, 2020

Futility as a Cause of Burnout in Residency

Holland Kaplan, MD

At the beginning of my residency training, one of our program leaders defined burnout as “work out of proportion to meaning.” In a sense, I think this also defines futility – performing a disproportionate amount of work compared with the results or meaning you are deriving from the work. The proposed causes of burnout in […]

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August 5th, 2020

Can We Rename Resident Burnout, Please?

Daniel Orlovich, MD, PharmD

It is time we stopped framing resident burnout in a certain way. Let’s be honest, the current descriptions give us nothing to build on. How is burnout currently framed?  In a strict academic sense, we are guided by clear, globally accepted definitions. We are familiar with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, depersonalization, emotional exhaustion, and reduced personal […]

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July 22nd, 2020

Patient Death and Physician Grief

Prarthna Bhardwaj, MD

A few months ago, one of my colleagues spoke about ‘Patient Death and Physician Grief’ at a morning conference — somewhat unusual, considering our conferences largely revolve around medical topics. I was stunned by how the next hour unfolded that morning. The session started off like a traditional morning report with an opening line of the […]

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June 10th, 2020

Resident Wellness Doesn’t Need to Be Expensive or Elaborate

Daniel Orlovich, MD, PharmD

“We’re not like Stanford” she said to me as we sat next to each other during our breakout session. My cheeks reddened. Somehow, suddenly, I felt as if I became the embodiment of my entire institution. And my furrowed brow revealed my surprise. Her tone softened. “What I mean is, resident wellness is easier when the program […]

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April 30th, 2020

Why Is Burnout Still Occurring, Even with Work-Hour Restrictions?

Daniel Orlovich, MD, PharmD

“Daniel, this guy is one… sick… puppy,” he stated emphatically, drawing out the last three words.  I put my phone down and turned my chair away from the computer. He had my attention. Not because I haven’t taken care of any sick patients before, but because this statement was coming from him. I’m sure your hospital has […]

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February 18th, 2020

How Can Attendings Affect Resident Burnout?

Daniel Orlovich, MD, PharmD

A Sad Short Story Harvard medical school. Stanford general surgery training. Northwestern vascular surgery fellowship. Suicide. This devastating path, taken by a 33-year-old trainee in 2010, is not unique. An estimated one physician commits suicide every single day in the U.S. alone (JAMA 2014; 312:1725). A number of these lives are taken on the hospital premises, places […]

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December 19th, 2019

Yogurt – The Cure to Resident Burnout

Daniel Orlovich, MD, PharmD

What is the latest answer to resident burnout? It may surprise you.  Recent research from a large Midwest academic center suggests that not one but two dollops of yogurt may help stymie resident burnout. “When we first started to look at the reasons why so many residents were burned out, we couldn’t understand it,” stated the […]

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