ER Forum Attending Burnout

[deleted65604]

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I was interested by the recent Burnout thread. One of the tools they used to measure the burnout was the Maslack Burnout inventory. Could attendings in ER look at the following survey and respond with their scores?

http://www.mindtools.com/stress/Brn/BurnoutSelfTest.htm

 

[Arcan57]

I was interested by the recent Burnout thread. One of the tools they used to measure the burnout was the Maslack Burnout inventory. Could attendings in ER look at the following survey and respond with their scores?

http://www.mindtools.com/stress/Brn/BurnoutSelfTest.htm

Interestingly, this is the same result I got when I took the burnout test at ACEP my first year out.

 

[TrumpetDoc]

65...actually "better" than I expected :/

 

[deleted109597]

Questions 13-15 define our profession. I think they need to make a slightly different version for people who don't work in "the office".

 

[la gringa]

agree w/ mcninja... heck, half of those questions seemed like they were written JUST FOR ED docs...

 

[ccfccp]

33... But I just graduated. I could see how it could be higher later. But, I'm working more now than I plan to be in several years.

 

[WilcoWorld]

Got a 39, surprised at how low I scored.

 

[coralis]

IMHO this needs to be readjusted. It seems not to really fit the mentality and life style of current medical careers, especially not in the ED.

I am only a medical student and scored a 59. Don't feel very burned out, but who knows right? maybe I am weeks away from my first psychotic break!!!

 

[tkim]

IMHO this needs to be readjusted. It seems not to really fit the mentality and life style of current medical careers, especially not in the ED.

I am only a medical student and scored a 59. Don't feel very burned out, but who knows right? maybe I am weeks away from my first psychotic break!!!

Are you skewing the results?

 

[coralis]

Are you skewing the results?

no I did not vote in the poll

 

[jendc08]

48 not sure if that is good or bad

 

[xaelia]

Only scored 29....

90 clinical hours a month in academics. Busy, but usually in a good way – seeing between 2.3 and 2.7 high-acuity pph with residents and PAs, mostly limited by ED boarding at a county hospital or multi-consultant madness at trauma referral center.

I think I would have scored the maximum a year and a half ago in residency.

 

[docB]

59

At least I didn't hit the top tier where you spontaneously combust. I merely walk around like a cinder.😀

 

[GeneralVeers]

My computer started smoking, and flames erupted from my keyboard before I could finish. Should I be worried?

 

[EctopicFetus]

28.. is there something wrong with me?

 

[DrMom]

41. Been working too many hours lately. Probably would have been better a few months ago.

 

[Doctor Bob]

28.. is there something wrong with me?

I got the same results.
And I work for the military which adds its own burecratic load on top of everything else.

But that doesn't mean there isn't something wrong with you.

 

[Leo Aquarius]

I'm not an EM attending and I didn't vote in the poll, but out of curiosity I took the test.

20 is my score. Psychiatry intern. I'd be interested to see how other medical specialties score and parse it attending vs resident, large city vs small city, etc...

 

[EctopicFetus]

Again, to me solutions are simple..

1) dont "need" too much money

2) limit your hours (I have a hard time with this)

3) work in a manageable environment with low pph and have the resources you need around you.

 

[substanceP]

44. but i think questions 12-14 skew my score so i appear more burnt out than i feel.

 

[TeamZissou]

Med student, just spent last 5 months preparing and taking COMLEX/USMLE step I

I didn't vote in the poll.

49



The questions seem only slightly leading....

 

[Daiphon]

45... higher than I thought it would be.

I work all nights (by choice) in an academic program, so a large part of the "tiredness" issue is daytime meetings/consults/research coupled with nighttime clinical work.

Somewhat illuminating, though.

-d

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk

 

[Birdstrike]

.

 

[tkim]

19. 🙂

Did you skew the results.

 

[The White Coat Investor]

21 for me.

 

[RPedigo]

Questions 13-15 define our profession. I think they need to make a slightly different version for people who don't work in "the office".

Agreed.

"Do you feel that organizational politics or bureaucracy frustrate your ability to do a good job?"

County hospital? Politics? Never.

"Do you feel that there is more work to do than you practically have the ability to do?"

Nah. Those 250 patients in the waiting room? I got this.

I did not vote, but as an EM R1 at a county program I scored 28.

 

[StevieStud]

I scored my age.

Not a good sign.

I am 53

 

[AmoryBlaine]

Again, to me solutions are simple..

1) dont "need" too much money

2) limit your hours (I have a hard time with this)

3) work in a manageable environment with low pph and have the resources you need around you.

The most burnout docs I have met are the ones who got themselves on the hook for huge financial obligations (like one who has 5 kids) and CANNOT under any circumstances even cut back on work.

Read whitecoatinvestor. The only thing I've done that deviates from his plan is I don't drive a beater.

Live below your means, watch money pile up rather than the other way around.

 

[Hercules]

Been out for a little over 3 years. Full time at a community SDG and managing partner of an urgent care that has been open for a year. Between the two I work about 130 clinical hrs per month along with admin duties. I scored a 21.

 

[TeamZissou]

The most burnout docs I have met are the ones who got themselves on the hook for huge financial obligations (like one who has 5 kids) and CANNOT under any circumstances even cut back on work.

Read whitecoatinvestor. The only thing I've done that deviates from his plan is I don't drive a beater.

Live below your means, watch money pile up rather than the other way around.

Good stuff

 

[FSU2013]

good stuff

+1

 

[EM_Rebuilder]

Again, to me solutions are simple..

1) dont "need" too much money

2) limit your hours (I have a hard time with this)

3) work in a manageable environment with low pph and have the resources you need around you.

Amen!

Buying too big of a house, too nice of a car, etc is what burns so many people out because of the financial obligation.

Adding to that 'saving for retirement' early I think is important.

Also, spending time doing something you enjoy. For some folks that might be a golf game, a lake weekend, a vegas weekend, etc... whatever it is, do it.

I do not feel burned out at all, but I have read enough horror stories (many on here) that I never want to get even close. I was working 12-12 and usually moonlit 1-3 elsewhere. I cut my hours to 10-12s and have not moonlit in the past few months. I also picked up some light admin duties for a petinance pay, but it is fun and something different to do.

 

[dchristismi]

44.
More jet-lagged than usual as I'm still on Reykjavik time, and switching to a brutal series of nights starting tomorrow.

Iceland was incredible. Travel is my reprieve. 🙂

 

[TrumpetDoc]

Money was no problem working 15-16 shifts.
Now I find I cannot really do more than 12-13 (8,9,10h mix) without getting extremely burnt and just an A hole at home.
Downside is that the money is actually pretty tight a that range with the house, the loans, the kids, and undergrad/med school credit cards. Don't drive nice cars, house is nice but way in the low side compared with my partners and peers.

 

[deleted109597]

44.
More jet-lagged than usual as I'm still on Reykjavik time, and switching to a brutal series of nights starting tomorrow.

Iceland was incredible. Travel is my reprieve. 🙂

Florida is a lot like Texas I guess. When it's hot, go someplace less so. I wonder if people in Iceland have "summer Americans" like we have "winter Texans".

Money was no problem working 15-16 shifts.
Now I find I cannot really do more than 12-13 (8,9,10h mix) without getting extremely burnt and just an A hole at home.
Downside is that the money is actually pretty tight a that range with the house, the loans, the kids, and undergrad/med school credit cards. Don't drive nice cars, house is nice but way in the low side compared with my partners and peers.

The nice thing about where I live is that the rurals are always desperate for providers. So while I don't have to work, if I decide I want to, I can pull 300/hr a couple days a month for extra pocket money. Of course, after taxes it's back down to 200/hr.

 

[TrumpetDoc]

The nice thing about where I live is that the rurals are always desperate for providers. So while I don't have to work, if I decide I want to, I can pull 300/hr a couple days a month for extra pocket money. Of course, after taxes it's back down to 200/hr.

I'm actually honking of going that route. Just gotta find the right gig in a spot we can happily raise our 3 young kids.

 

[dchristismi]

Honking, eh?
I'm sure that was autocorrect, but it's pretty funny.

And there were tons of tourists there... Iceland is sort of like Coumadin - there's a narrow therapeutic window. We still got caught in a snowstorm. In August. Sort of at the tail-end of tourist time.They said it was quite rare, but on the whole, they're obsessed with the weather. Still, was a really neat place, and especially lovely when not raining or sleeting (4/11 days)