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MENTAL HEALTH MENTAL HEALTH

HOW TO lished in 2019, a randomized controlled trial about joining these monthly webinars by vis- a pilot randomized clinical trial." JAMA in-

OVERCOME showed that just six sessions of professional iting the BCMS Calendar of Events ternal medicine 179.10 (2019): 1406-1414.

coaching led to a statistically significant de-
at www.bcms.org.
In summary, the detrimental effects of
Nora Vasquez, MD is a Certi-
PHYSICIAN crease in emotional exhaustion and overall burnout can be mitigated by participating in fied Physician Coach and a Board-
burnout. There was also a statistically signifi-
Medicine
Internal
the BCMS Physician Coaching and Wellness
cant increase in quality of life and resilience
Certified
BURNOUT scores. Therefore, we must promote and Program. This program will enhance your Physician with over a decade of experience. She
make these coaching programs easily accessi-
developed the Physician Wellness Webinar Se-
awareness, develop your strengths and help
AND THRIVE ble so that physicians can get the support you create the work-life balance you desire so ries for BCMS physician members to empower
physicians with evidence-based coaching strate-
they need.
that you can achieve your personal and pro-
The Bexar County Medical Society fessional goals. Please share this article and gies to decrease burnout and enhance physician
By Nora Vasquez, MD
(BCMS) is committed to supporting physi- invite your physician colleagues to join us so well-being. You can learn more about Dr. Nora
A cost for physicians personally and profes- Coach to help medical professionals mitigate cians and have charged me to lead and de- that we can better support our physician Vasquez at www.renewyourmindmd.com. Dr.
re you feeling the effects of physi-
leaders through these challenging times.
velop the BCMS Physician Coaching and
Vasquez is a member of the Bexar County

cian burnout? If you answered yes,
they worked so hard to create.
then you are not alone. In fact, for years we sionally. A Mayo study in 2017 revealed burnout so that they too could enjoy the life Wellness Program. This program consists of Reference: Medical Society.
that when physicians are burned out, the
a free monthly Physician Wellness Webinar
have known that occupational burnout af- overall quality of health care delivery suf- Since then, I have worked with hundreds Series where you can learn effective tips to 1. Dyrbye, Liselotte N., Shanafelt T. "Ef-
fects over 50% of physicians in the United fers. There are more medical errors, de- of physicians throughout the United States help you improve your well-being at work fect of a professional coaching intervention
States. What exactly is burnout? Burnout is creased satisfaction scores, decreased and Canada. As such, I understand the daily and at home. You can register and learn more on the well-being and distress of physicians:
defined by the World Health Organization morale and productivity. Most notably, the challenges physicians struggle with as they
as feelings of overwhelming exhaustion, in- personal cost of physician burnout is dev- lead and serve their patients, while also taking
creased cynicism and negativity related to astating, as it often leads to depression, sub- care of their family responsibilities. What is
one’s job and reduced professional stance abuse, broken relationships and even remarkable is that most physicians don’t re-
efficacy. Burnout is an occupational hazard suicide. Alarming data reveals that women alize how untreated burnout is preventing
that is expressed due to prolonged exposure physicians’ suicide rate is 130% higher than them from experiencing true fulfillment in
to chronic stressors. Occupational stressors females in the general population. This is a their personal and professional lives. Once
that drive physician burnout include, but are tragedy that must be addressed at both the they learn the effective skills to overcome
not limited to, increased workload, in- medical institutional level as well as on the burnout and how to implement evidence-
creased charting, lack of staff or resources, individual level. based strategies, they can create a work-life
loss of autonomy and loss of As a Board-Certified Internal Medicine balance that allows them to enjoy their life
community. That is to say that even the most Specialist, I experienced the effects of more fully.
resilient physicians are susceptible to burnout throughout my training and career, The good news is that premier leaders at
burnout due to the demands, challenges and but I didn’t even know it at the time. At the medical schools, hospitals and medical insti-
responsibilities placed upon them. height of my burnout, I started noticing that tutions nationwide now recognize the impor-
Unfortunately, the COVID-19 global my usual optimistic thoughts were being re- tance of investing and promoting physician
pandemic has exacerbated burnout and is placed with dread and more negative think- coaching and wellness programs. Wellness
contributing to an exodus of highly skilled ing. I also recognized that I was feeling less has been defined as “the complex and multi-
and talented medical professionals leaving fulfilled at work and so exhausted that resting faceted nature of physicians’ physical, mental
medicine at alarming rates. Hospitals and on the weekends didn’t rejuvenate me. It was and emotional health and well-being.” Every
medical institutions are struggling to retain then that I knew something had to medical student, resident and attending
their workforce or even recruit new staff to change. After exploring my options, I decided physician deserves to have access to a physi-
alleviate the workload strain. It’s estimated to hire a physician coach who helped me cian coach. Professional physician coaching
that the cost to replace one physician overcome my burnout and transformed my is an effective strategy that promotes wellness
ranges from $250,000 to $1,000,000. We life for the better. This pivotal experience in- and is supported by an increasing body of ev-
know that burnout also has a detrimental spired me to become a Certified Physician idence. According to a JAMA article pub-

16 SAN ANTONIO MEDICINE • October 2021 Visit us at www.bcms.org 17