Learn how death-denial may contribute to physician burnout and how to change it.
In this solo episode I share my thoughts on the inner reasons why physicians may burn out and how increased death awareness could be a solution. Now more than ever we need death-informed education for all physicians, which would transform medical practice in general and especially end-of-life care.
This episode includes:
- Survey showing that 44% of physicians report being burned out. largely due to external factors out of their control
- Article by Dr. Keith Corl describes “moral injury” for physicians who are asked to practice in a way that violates their moral integrity
- Multiple deeply-ingrained factors that arise from medical training and lead to lack of satisfaction in medical practice
- 4 principles all med students should be taught:
- Death is inevitable and not a failure
- Death is a mystery we cannot control
- Death makes life more precious
- Dying is an opportunity for transformation
- Doctors need to find balance between holding onto life and letting go when the time is right
- Also need to learn to grieve over patient deaths in a positive way
Links mentioned in this episode:
- Article about Doctors and Moral Injury
- Episode 170 : The Pause with Jonathan Bartels
- Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and get access to the EOLU mug: “Mind if we talk about death?” (only Patrons can purchase it). PLUS get our new bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously!
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes! Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest Patron Donna Peizer. Your contributions make all the difference!
