Hospitalist Burnout
Find a Good Fit
One key to avoiding burnout is to make sure you find an employer you can be happy with.
“There are as many different styles of management as there are hospitalist groups,” says Michael-Anthony Williams, MD, president of Inpatient Services, PC, in Denver. “It’s important that the doctors in a group share values and have the same goal. There’s no right answer.”
Dr. Schapira agrees. “There needs to be a good fit between the physician and the workplace,” she says. “If you’re the only person constantly upset by the system, maybe you’re not working in the right place.”
Dr. Williams, a co-presenter with Dr. Wetterneck in Chicago, outlined how his hospital medicine group has combated burnout by hiring physicians who seem likely to be a good fit. Dr. Williams realized that the hospitalists at Inpatient Services value time off over monetary gain.
“Our group is not motivated by finances,” he explains. “The salaries aren’t as high here, and Denver attracts physicians who aren’t seeking a lot of money.” Therefore Inpatient Services provides more time off. “Everyone gets one vacation request each month,” [per person] says Dr. Williams. “Day-to-day, the job is very unpredictable. So we try to give people control over their schedule.”
Burnout is a serious emotional condition that can lead some hospitalists and other physicians to seek a change in career—or lead them to substance abuse or other problems. The good news is that identifying it in the first place and then advocating to change workplace conditions can overcome it. TH
