How to Effectively Manage Stress and Avoid Physician Burnout

Life as a hospitalist in 2022 America isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s a job that unfolds in an uncertain fashion from day to day, set in a high-stakes, high-stress environment where many patients don’t particularly want to be cared for or attended to. All too often, the end result is a medical professional left to manage (or try to manage) all-too-common conditions like anxiety, depression, exhaustion, and the dreaded physician’s burnout.

“Being a hospitalist is hard,” states Dr. Jason C. Bartsch, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Hospitalist, University of Vermont Medical Center, Burlington, VT. “We have a tough job, we take care of a lot of people, and we’re under time constraints. They’re very sick, they’re scared, and they’re not always happy to have us be a part of their care.”

In his lecture entitled “Physician Resilience in Hospital Medicine,” Dr. Bartsch takes an up-close look at how to overcome burnout, manage stress, practice resilience, achieve “focus mode” and more. His brief yet in-depth 30-minute lecture was recorded at Hospital Medicine 2020, presented by The Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine at The University of Vermont.

“The traditional definition of burnout is that it’s a constellation of symptoms of emotional exhaustion, cynicism, or depersonalization—and a feeling of personal ineffectiveness,” explains Dr. Bartsch, who details his own personal struggles with burnout during his second year as a full-fledged hospitalist. “I’ve come to believe that burnout is a symptom of something larger.”

While this expert-level lecture is ideal for physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and support staff working in the hospital medicine, internal medicine, and emergency medicine fields, it contains a wealth of invaluable information and insights that can benefit all medical professionals. A close listen will clearly articulate:

• A clear definition of what burnout is—and how to overcome it
• What resilience is—and why it’s vitally important to practicing physicians in hospital medicine
• How the brain functions and focuses—and what the main stressors are for physicians
• How to best manage and mitigate stress using resilience tools

After listening to and absorbing this program, you’ll be empowered to elaborate on the role of resilience in the management of burnout. You’ll also be equipped to practice strategies that improve stress management and hone a resilient mindset. This CME-accredited course also qualifies for AMA PRA Category 1 Credits^™ for 35 months from the date of its original publication (Nov.12, 2020).

Physician resilience: A closer look

In the opinion of Dr. Bartsch, there’s a good amount that gets misunderstood or misconstrued when it comes to the topic of resilience.

“Resilience, just like burnout, can really get a bad reputation at times,” says Dr. Bartsch. “It prevents the small issues from causing big problems and it allows us to recover more quickly from the larger problems. All of that helps us spend much less effort on our perceived problems.”

But just what is resilience? Dr. Bartsch describes it as “the ability to withstand or resist adversity, bounce back or recover from adversity, and grow or rise despite life’s downturns.” As he notes, building this ability and skill set requires serious self-awareness and work.

“We use core principles to develop a resilient mindset,” explains Dr. Bartsch. “I hope to convince all of you that having a resilient mindset can really decrease moral injury—and more than that, allow us to be change agents because we’re all on the front lines of healthcare.”

Once built and maintained, resilience offers a wealth of benefits for today’s time-crunched clinician and medical professional. It prevents small issues from causing big problems, allows quicker recovery from larger problems, and helps form new, deeper, and more meaningful connections with patients and colleagues. Dr. Bartsch also taps into the science of neuroplasticity, meaning the brain’s ability to form and reorganize neural networks—which are strengthened according to duration and intensity of use. Spending more time in the focus mode than in the default mode is key here, with particular value placed on focusing intently on matters within one’s control.

To learn more about the benefits of a resilient mind for physicians, listen to Dr. Bartsch’s full lecture at your convenience. You can also connect to additional expertise and insights in hospital medicine and internal medicine anytime, anywhere by purchasing an AudioDigest Internal Medicine CME/CE Gold Membership or ordering our Best Lectures CME Collection for Internal Medicine.

Related lectures available from today’s preeminent thought leaders include “Cultivating Resilience Among Surgeons” by Mohsen Shabahang, MD, “Maintaining Resilience in Operating Room Staff” by Elizabeth R. Benjamin, MD, PhD, and “Reducing Burnout and Fostering a Culture of Wellness” by Katren Tyler, MBBS .