It comes as no surprise that most physicians report symptoms of burnout. However, less information is available about burnout among mid-career medical faculty specifically.
A multi-institution group of leading researchers aimed to characterize burnout and its risk factors among mid-career medical faculty, specifically identifying gender-based differences. They published the following findings in JAMA Open Network:
- Burnout was more likely for female physicians and with more weekly hours of patient care
- Increased work hours (8 or more above a typical 40-hour work week), more weekly hours of patient care, and experiences of workplace sexual harassment were associated with higher levels of work-related burnout.
- Getting more sleep each night and having a better work environment were linked to lower chances of burnout.
“It’s clear that there is substantial burnout among mid-career medical faculty,” explained Eva Feldman, M.D., Ph.D. “These results highlight the necessity of proven strategies to support a diverse and healthy workforce.”
This work was supported by grant R01GM139842 from the National Institutes of Health.
The paper mentioned: Paradis KC, Kerr EA, Griffith KA, Cutter CM, Feldman EL, Singer K, Spector ND, Ubel PA, Jagsi R. Burnout Among Mid-Career Academic Medical Faculty. JAMA Netw Open. 2024 Jun 3;7(6):e2415593. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.15593. PMID: 38857049; PMCID: PMC11165383.