Burnout has been defined as a long-term, unresolvable job stress that leads to exhaustion and feeling overwhelmed, cynical, detached from the job, and lacking a sense of personal accomplishment. According to Medscape's 2019 survey of more than 15,000 physicians in over 29 specialties, 44% of physicians reported feeling burned out; 11% were colloquially depressed and 4% were clinically depressed. Among the most burned out specialties were critical care (48%) and neurology (48%), closely followed by family medicine (47%), ob/gyn (46%), and internal medicine (46%). At USF Health, to balance out what may feel like repetitive, meaningless activity, physicians are encouraged to do research, teach, or consult. "There's a huge array of techniques that we use to avoid burnout," says John T. Sinnott, chairman of USF Health's Department of Internal Medicine. "We encourage international travel with our doctors; we encourage volunteer work. Burnout is a dangerous problem and we pay attention to it."
LEARN MORE: USF.edu/HealthCheckup
