Date of Award

Spring 2020

Degree Name

Bachelor of Fine Arts

Department

Psychology; College of Arts & Sciences

First Advisor

Alison Clabaugh

Abstract

Burnout, defined as physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion from one’s job or career, is a consequence of increasing job stress without a comparable increase in job satisfaction. Studies show that most physicians have either experienced burnout themselves or have known other physicians who have suffered from this phenomenon presently or in the past. Burnout can be brought on by certain risk factors such as socio-demographic characteristics, workplace experiences, and personality traits. These risk factors can interact with each other or work on their own to form a dangerous burnout cocktail. If an afflicted physician does not seek the help they so direly need, they, and their patients, can suffer grave consequences that can lead to negative health outcomes and a general distrust for the medical field. For this reason, it is important to take preventative measures that can allow physicians suffering from burnout to either never experience it in the first place or heal in an accepting environment.

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Physician Burnout: Risk Factors, Consequences, & Prevention

Burnout, defined as physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion from one’s job or career, is a consequence of increasing job stress without a comparable increase in job satisfaction. Studies show that most physicians have either experienced burnout themselves or have known other physicians who have suffered from this phenomenon presently or in the past. Burnout can be brought on by certain risk factors such as socio-demographic characteristics, workplace experiences, and personality traits. These risk factors can interact with each other or work on their own to form a dangerous burnout cocktail. If an afflicted physician does not seek the help they so direly need, they, and their patients, can suffer grave consequences that can lead to negative health outcomes and a general distrust for the medical field. For this reason, it is important to take preventative measures that can allow physicians suffering from burnout to either never experience it in the first place or heal in an accepting environment.