3 Strategies to Prevent Burnout as a Physician

Defined as either physical or mental exhaustion brought about by overwhelming work-related stress, burnout is common in most professions, especially the healthcare industry. In particular, physicians often feel tired, empty, and unmotivated because of their positions’ nature. And the medical practitioners who experience the effects of burnout continue to increase.

Despite how common it is, physician burnout is a genuine concern because it affects the health and well-being of the healthcare providers themselves and their patients. In fact, they’re more likely to cause safety incidents, whether it’s incorrect diagnoses or a lack of professionalism when it comes to communication. To avoid being a part of this statistic, we’ve compiled a list of strategies in this article that you should incorporate into your lifestyle. To learn more, keep on reading.

1. Consider becoming a locum tenens practitioner

Locum tenens practitioners are becoming more and more common in the healthcare sector, and for a good reason. Beyond the opportunities it presents for career growth and development, it also gives healthcare professionals more control over their schedules than they otherwise would have had they been in permanent roles.

Another advantage of working with locum tenens companies is that you won’t have to handle so much administrative work. For many doctors, paperwork is a significant source of stress. Since you’ll have minimal admin tasks to do if you choose to switch to locum work, you’ll effectively eliminate the stressors that come from this aspect of the profession.

2. Eat a healthy diet

Contrary to popular belief, many healthcare professionals rarely eat healthily. This is primarily because of the busy schedules that they usually have to work with. However, your diet can affect your ability to shield yourself from the negative impact of stress. Simply put, it builds an enduring and strong foundation for the body by reducing inflammation and oxidation. It also minimizes the likelihood of weight gain.

It may sound like a colossal undertaking to adopt a healthy diet, but it’s not as hard as you might think. You don’t necessarily need to eliminate entire food selections from the equation, after all. By balancing your consumption of meat products with fruits and vegetables, you’ll give yourself the nutrients that you need to function optimally and prevent stress.

3. Leave time for exercise

Everyone knows the importance of exercise to a healthy lifestyle. After all, the human body needs to engage in physical activity to remain in excellent shape. However, what some may not know is that working out is also effective in combating stress. Through exercise, the body produces endorphins – chemicals that interact with brain receptors to keep pain perception low and trigger positive feelings. Therefore, you must always allocate enough time to exercise daily.

Conclusion

Burnout, especially with physicians, can have severe consequences. For this reason, you must avoid it at all costs. So make sure that you consider the abovementioned strategies. Doing so won’t just enable you to be healthier and happier. But you’ll also perform your duties much better than you would have.

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