Women in medicine are at risk of physician burnout due to COVID-19 due to many different factors, including:
Further, they must continue to deal with all of the job-related stress that existed before the pandemic, including:
No wonder women in medicine are feeling overwhelmed and are at risk of burnout.
Since the onset of COVID-19, people worldwide have had to learn to adapt to change quickly. The problem with this, however, is that our brain doesnt like change. It likes to predict the future and when we face change, this means one thing: uncertainty.
The pandemic has turned the world as we knew it upside-down. Things we previously took for granted, like getting together with friends or going to work, became risky.
In addition to dealing with the possibility of contracting COVID through everyday activities, medical professionals are also at increased risk of contracting the virus through the treatment of their sick patients.
Related Content:Survey Shows Women in Medicine Still Face InequitiesPrioritizing Healthcare Workers Mental Health During COVID-19
While they are needed now more than ever, medical professionals are losing their jobs and experiencing a reduction in pay and hours. Those who have not yet been affected are worried about the future of their career and financial stability.
Because most schools in the United States have switched over to a digital format, much of childcare and homeschooling have fallen on parents. Traditionally, women have been the primary ones to handle work within the home. [3] Therefore, it is not a far stretch to imagine that they are also the ones who are taking on most of these domestic tasks now.
While these women might be high achievers, many say they are working hard for their families. The trouble is their career takes up so much of their time that they have less time to spend with their loved ones. Even when they have the time, they often experience emotional exhaustion, [4] which may keep them from being fully present.
Perhaps, that is why 40 percent of female physicians end up leaving or cutting back their hours by their sixth year [5]. A similar trend can be seen with female nurses whose turnover rates are purported to be as high as 38 percent.[6] However, working less can bring up additional stress related to paying back student loans and other financial debt.
For all these reasons, being a woman in medicine now more than ever can feel like being in survival mode. Indeed, when demands are excessive and resources are short, this is a recipe for burnout [7].
As it turns out, 42 percent of physicians reported being burned out according to a recent online survey [8]. A similar trend can be seen with nurses who normally experience emotional pressures in their jobs which, during a pandemic, can lead to stress and burnout. [9]
When these professionals are not at their best, they suffer a decrease in energy, morale, and job performance. And, the quality of their medical care goes down.
The effect of this trickles down to patients who receive poorer quality care. And they may suffer higher rates of infections and increased mortality rates due to medical errors. [10]
Some women in medicine may turn to junk food or overindulge in drugs or alcohol to cope with stress. Such maladaptive coping translates into weight gain, poorer health, and addictions. All of these things have further consequences that negatively affect sleep, mood, and relationships.
While the external stressors they face are real, it is up to the individual to learn to manage their thinking to avoid feeling anxious, overwhelmed or burned out. This is possible even during COVID-19.
In addition to environmental stressors, part of the reason why anxiety and burnout are an epidemic among healthcare workers is because of the stigma around mental health in the field of medicine.
There is an expectation that healthcare providers are superhuman. And, that they can manage to deal with emotionally draining and sometimes traumatic experiences while navigating challenging work-related conditions without being affected. This is clearly unrealistic and very damaging to their long-term well-being.
Nevertheless, not all hope is lost. The key to staying afloat amid the chaos is self-management. It may seem that the reasons for the stress are external factors and therefore beyond your control. However, our response to stress is a product of our minds.
Think of a time when you were in the same situation as someone else. While you may have been negatively affected by the circumstances at the time, your friend or colleague was unphased.
The reason for this difference in outcomes relates to perception. It is not what happens to us that makes us feel how we do. Rather, it is how we think about what happens to us that leads to those feelings.
When we misunderstand someones intention, we can feel upset by our interpretation. Once we realize what they truly meant, our perception shifts. Consequently, so do our feelings.
The same is true in the workplace. It is your thinking that creates your current emotional state, not the circumstances. When you shift your mindset, you shift your anxiety into a state of calm.
The next time you find yourself ruminating about mistakes youve made or worrying about the future, bring yourself back to the present moment. Recognize that you have a choice about where you focus your mind.
The world around you will remain imperfect. The healthcare system in which you work will continue to be deeply flawed.
When you fixate on what should be different, youll only feel frustrated. Instead, focus inward on what you can control. This is because the only thing you have control over is yourself.
By learning to manage your thinking, you can make positive changes, such as:
The responsibility of self-management and self-care may seem like an added burden to your already burdened life. However, by increasing Emotional Intelligence and managing your energy, you lighten your load.
What may have seemed overwhelming previously may feel easier when your perspective shifts, when you are in a state of balance, and when you are able to accept aspects that exist outside your control.
You are stronger than you realize and no matter what, rememberyou always have a choice.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, women in medicine have been faced with heightened demands and lower than normal resources. This combination can overwhelm and bring about anxiety and burnout.
By focusing internally rather than externally, you can regain control over your reactions and refocus on what really matters long-term.
Follow this link:
Burnout: The Experience of Women In Medicine During COVID-19 - The Doctor Weighs In
- Yes, But. The Annotated Atlantic. - November 7th, 2009 [November 7th, 2009]
- Health Insurance Benefit Costs by Region - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- For an Operator, Please Press... - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Pollyanna With a Pen: Maine Governor Signs 18 New Health Care Bills into Law - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- AMA Sounds the Alarm, Medicare Making Yet Another Attempt to Cut Reimbursement - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Mass Governor Asks Blue Cross to Keep Higher Employer Contribution - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Lifespan and Care New England Plan Monopoly (Again) - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Dirigo Health: Con Artists, Liars, and Thieves? - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- New Orleans: Health Challenges - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- August a Flurry of Activity - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Maine's Dirigo Health Savings One-Third of Original Estimate - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- “Methodolatry”: My new favorite term for one of the shortcomings of evidence-based medicine - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Suzanne Somers’ Knockout: Dangerous misinformation about cancer (part 1) - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- A science-based blog about GMO - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- A Not-So-Split Decision - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Military Medicine in Iraq - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- The effective wordsmithing of Amy Wallace - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- A Science Lesson from a Homeopath and Behavioral Optometrist - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Join CFI in opposing funding mandates for quackery in health care reform - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Mainstreaming Science-Based Medicine: A Novel Approach - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Those who live in glass houses… - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- J.B. Handley of the anti-vaccine group Generation Rescue: Misogynistic attacks on journalists who champion science - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- When homeopaths attack medicine and physics - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- The cancer screening kerfuffle erupts again: “Rethinking” screening for breast and prostate cancer - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- All Medicines Are Poison! - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- When Loud Wins: Will Your Tax Dollars Pay For Prayer? - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- It’s All in Your Head - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- The Skeptical O.B. joins the Science-Based Medicine crew - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- The Tragic Death Toll of Homebirth - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- What’s the right C-section rate? Higher than you think. - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Recombinant Human Antithrombin – Milking Nanny Goats for Big Bucks - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Does C-section increase the rate of neonatal death? - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Man in Coma 23 Years – Is He Really Conscious? - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Why Universal Hepatitis B Vaccination Isn’t Quite Universal - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Ontario naturopathic prescribing proposal is bad medicine - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Naturopaths and the anti-vaccine movement: Hijacking the law in service of pseudoscience - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- The Institute for Science in Medicine enters the health care reform fray - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Neti pots – Ancient Ayurvedic Treatment Validated by Scientific Evidence - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Early Intervention for Autism - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- A temporary reprieve from legislative madness - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- A critique of the leading study of American homebirth - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Lose those holiday pounds - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Endocrine disruptors—the one true cause? - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Acupuncture for Chronic Prostatitis/Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Evidence in Medicine: Experimental Studies - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Midwives and the assault on scientific evidence - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- The Mammogram Post-Mortem - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- An Influenza Recap: The End of the Second Wave - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- The End of Chiropractic - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Cell phones and cancer again, or: Oh, no! My cell phone’s going to give me cancer! (revisited) - December 20th, 2009 [December 20th, 2009]
- Another wrinkle to the USPSTF mammogram guidelines kerfuffle: What about African-American women? - December 20th, 2009 [December 20th, 2009]
- Acupuncture, the P-Value Fallacy, and Honesty - December 20th, 2009 [December 20th, 2009]
- The One True Cause of All Disease - December 20th, 2009 [December 20th, 2009]
- Communicating with the Locked-In - December 20th, 2009 [December 20th, 2009]
- Are the benefits of breastfeeding oversold? - December 20th, 2009 [December 20th, 2009]
- Measles - December 20th, 2009 [December 20th, 2009]
- Radiation from medical imaging and cancer risk - December 21st, 2009 [December 21st, 2009]
- Multiple Sclerosis and Irrational Exuberance - December 21st, 2009 [December 21st, 2009]
- Medical Fun with Christmas Carols - December 22nd, 2009 [December 22nd, 2009]
- Lithium for ALS – Angioplasty for MS - December 23rd, 2009 [December 23rd, 2009]
- “Toxins”: the new evil humours - December 24th, 2009 [December 24th, 2009]
- 2009’s Top 5 Threats To Science In Medicine - December 24th, 2009 [December 24th, 2009]
- Buteyko Breathing Technique – Nothing to Hyperventilate About - December 26th, 2009 [December 26th, 2009]
- The Graston Technique – Inducing Microtrauma with Instruments - December 29th, 2009 [December 29th, 2009]
- The “pharma shill” gambit - December 29th, 2009 [December 29th, 2009]
- Ginkgo biloba – No Effect - December 30th, 2009 [December 30th, 2009]
- Oppose “Big Floss”; practice alternative dentistry - January 1st, 2010 [January 1st, 2010]
- Causation and Hill’s Criteria - January 3rd, 2010 [January 3rd, 2010]
- The life cycle of translational research - January 10th, 2010 [January 10th, 2010]
- The anti-vaccine movement strikes back against Dr. Paul Offit - January 10th, 2010 [January 10th, 2010]
- Osteoporosis Drugs: Good Medicine or Big Pharma Scam? - January 10th, 2010 [January 10th, 2010]
- Acupuncture for Hot Flashes - January 10th, 2010 [January 10th, 2010]
- The case for neonatal circumcision - January 10th, 2010 [January 10th, 2010]
- A victory for science-based medicine - January 10th, 2010 [January 10th, 2010]
- James Ray and testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) - January 10th, 2010 [January 10th, 2010]
- The Water Cure: Another Example of Self Deception and the “Lone Genius” - January 12th, 2010 [January 12th, 2010]
- Be careful what you wish for, Dr. Dossey, you just might get it - January 13th, 2010 [January 13th, 2010]
- You. You. Who are you calling a You You? - January 15th, 2010 [January 15th, 2010]
- The War on Salt - January 16th, 2010 [January 16th, 2010]
- Is breech vaginal delivery safe? - January 16th, 2010 [January 16th, 2010]