Managing Physician Burnout (S2:E39)

In season one of Charting Pediatrics, we explored the issue of physician burnout. In this episode, our guests shared their personal experiences with burnout, provided valuable insights and explained the effects. We also discussed how hospitals can reduce physician burnout by implementing preventive measures.

There’s a stigma attached to the notion of provider self-care. Luckily, the stigma lessens every time we discuss these highly emotional topics. The Charting Pediatrics team is back to share more tips providers can use to take care of themselves.

Listen to the Charting Pediatrics hosts discuss provider self-care and compassion fatigue

In this episode, all three podcast hosts are in the recording studio for a round-table discussion about provider self-care and compassion fatigue. The host team shares personal experiences and strategies they utilize for staying energized when cases have challenging outcomes.

Our host team includes David Brumbaugh, MD, a pediatric gastroenterologist and Chief Medical Officer at Children’s Hospital Colorado; Alison Brent, MD, pediatric emergency medicine physician and Medical Director of Physician Relations and the Network of Care at Children’s Colorado; and Dan Nicklas, MD, pediatrician and Medical Director of the Pediatric Call Center at Children’s Colorado.

In this episode, our experts discuss:

• What Dr. Brent learned about the importance of having a tender heart and why doctors shouldn't suppress their emotions
• How the conventional wisdom of creating boundaries with patients falls short in practice
• Why doctors should set their own boundaries with less rigidity
• Why there is no one-size-fits-all approach to dealing with patients and families in traumatic circumstances
• How healing it can be to “let it all out” at home
• Dr. Brumbaugh’s experience of attending a young patient’s funeral and what it meant to the family
• Why it’s so important for providers to “show up” for their patients and families
• Exercise, family, meditation and live music as ways to unwind and stay grounded
• How helpful it is to have a support network to lean on during difficult times
• The importance of supportive colleagues and being able to share experiences
• How having your own kids as a pediatrician increases your concern for them
• Accepting that you are human, that you don’t have all the answers and that it is OK to take your guard down

Child-centered treatment at Children’s Colorado

At Children’s Colorado, our pediatric providers and experts understand that children and teens deserve special attention. We see more, treat more and heal more children than any hospital in our seven-state region. Refer a patient to Children’s Colorado.