Avoiding Burnout in First Year Residents: "It really isn't that hard" - Dr. Elisabeth Paice

In Medicine, exciting things happen in July.  Perhaps the best is the opportunity to welcome all of our new residents to our postgraduate programs and join them in the journey of advanced training.  These are hard working, innovative, and dedicated colleagues who will help advance health and wellness around the world and it is in our collective interest to support them on that journey.

Last July, the UK published one of their first - and most shocking - studies on resident burnout.  Block et al uncovered that 76% of their first year residents met criteria for burnout.  Furthermore, residents with burnout were more likely to make clinically significant errors and described the quality of care they provided as less than satisfactory.

Dr. Eisabeth Paice, a well-known global leader in health-workplace health and wellness, made a great observation in follow up to the UK study:

"It really isn't that hard to take effective steps to reduce burnout. For a start, we can avoid work schedules that institutionalise sleep deprivation. We can ensure ready access to approachable and reliable supervisors who understand the full extent and critical importance of their roles. And we can make sure that all clinical professionals, including the new doctor, are working in well-functioning teams. None of this should be seen as an optional extra or ‘nice to do’. These steps are critical for the health and safety of new doctors and their patients, today and tomorrow."

And this July, Batra et al. have released a longitudinal study of resident burnout citing rates between 41-76% across disciplines.  Clearly, the time for hard work is here.  

What does your program do to promote sleep, quality supervision, and high-functioning teamwork?