A mindful approach to physician burnout

A national study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine reports that approximately half of the physicians in the United States are experiencing at least one symptom of burnout — a loss of satisfaction with professional work.

Like other professionals, we cannot easily resolve factors that produce frustration or lessened interest in our work, but we can improve our ability to respond to challenges, and even recover lost enthusiasm, by enhancing our capacity for non-judgmental attentiveness and greater focus on the present moment.

Cutting edge scientific research refers to this practice as mindfulness and provides evidence of increased physician health and resilience, reduced burnout and improved quality of care when physicians expand their capacity for mindfulness.

In fact, MRIs at leading research institutions now reveal that with mindful practice, the structure of our brain changes.  These changes are possible due to an intrinsic property of our nervous system known as neuroplasticity.

We developed and presented this 3 day conference retreat to provide an opportunity for physicians to come together to explore ways to improve their health and well being and rekindle their enthusiasm for their work.