The Taking Care of Our Own Program

“Physicians are people too” — the UNC Taking Care of Our Own Program for physician wellness and burnout prevention

No one is immune to the difficulties of balancing life and work demands. Physicians, both resident and attending, who labor long hours under high stress situations are subject to sleep deprivation and may even have difficulty finding time to manage basic bodily needs. Add to that the burdens of trying to ease other people’s suffering, cope with sadness and loss, and calm patients’ and families’ fears, and the combination can lead to burnout syndrome and stress.

Physicians are people too. If you are struggling in some way with burnout syndrome or other issues, you aren’t alone and don’t need to suffer in silence.

Burnout syndrome is a growing problem among practicing physicians and is defined as a constellation of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and loss of perspective that work is meaningful. If you are struggling in some way with burnout syndrome or other issues, you aren’t alone and don’t need to suffer in silence.

The Taking Care of Our Own program recognizes that our physicians at UNC may need help from time to time to cope with the challenges of their professional journey. We provide education, confidential support, advice, and if appropriate, professional referral for individual mental or physical help that meets your needs.

Resources:

Taking Care of Our Own / Resident Burnout

• Taking Care of Our Own: A Multispecialty Study of Resident and Program Director Perspectives on Contributors to Burnout and Potential Interventions
  
• Physician Burnout: It’s time to Take Care of Our Own
  

Burnout Epidemic

• The Widespread Problem of Doctor Burnout
  Chen, P. Well blog, New York Times (2012)
• Physician burnout presents differently in male and female doctors
  Drummond, D. KevinMD.com (2012)
• The Physician Burnout Epidemic: What It Means for Patients and Reform
  Schattner, E. The Atlantic (2012)
• Physician Burnout: Preparing for a “Perfect Storm”
  Straight A Review. Steadier Group (2012)

The Taking Care of Our Own Program is supported by the Sanders Clinical Scholars Program fund.