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LIFEBRIDGE

Counseling for Physician Stress & Burnout

is now a Bexar County Medical Society Member Benefit

By Stephen C. Fitzer, BCMS Executive Director

A Tale of Two Cities, the novel opens with, “It was the Organized medicine began as a way for physicians to come to-
best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age gether to learn from each other, advocate for medicine and help
of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the to manage their environment. New times and an increasingly
epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity …”. That applies complex medical scenario have made those tasks increasingly dif-
as much today as it did in Charles Dickens’ time. ficult. But even with this escalating pressure, physicians and
It’s a very stressful time to be alive, even with affluence all around would-be physicians have traditionally been reluctant to seek
us. Demands on our time, the changing nature of families, govern- counseling or therapy for issues of stress, burnout or trickle-
ment and society, constantly evolving technology, as well as main- down family problems.
taining control of our lives and finances are making us dizzy! For Bexar County Medical Society (BCMS) is introducing access to a
physicians, add the unique problems of reimbursement, adminis- confidential, professional counseling service for its members. The
tration, management, regulations, legal and ever-evolving medicine name of this Bexar County Medical Society initiative is the BCMS
and it really becomes a serious conundrum. LifeBridge Physician Wellness Program.

10 San Antonio Medicine • August 2019