- What Makes Residents Tick
- Complimentary CME for YOU
- Medicare Expands GME
- More Control = Less Burnout
- QUIZ QUESTION - Test Your Knowledge
What Really Makes Residents Tick or Burn Out?
A BMC research article by a major residency provider in Israel highlights issues that seem to be universal among residents (and all other practicing physicians). High workloads, limited time with patients, excessive administrative challenges, and the struggle to maintain a home life are common concerns.
The most important factors in workplace satisfaction are relationships with others in the workplace, and the relationship senior doctors.
What Really Makes Residents Tick or Burn Out? - BMC Medical Education
Medicare-Supported GME Residency Positions Look to Grow the Physician Workforce and Expand Health Care Access
This article is about 200 new residency slots. Not mentioned in the article, however, are some other statistics:
- Practicing physician growth, 10-year = 0.79% annually
- Population growth, 10-year = 0.46% annually
Those are FSMB and U.S. Census numbers. The doubling rate of specialization and knowledge growth in medicine is 73 days, if measured by the growth in medical research publications. That’s not a great comparison, since much of what ends up on PubMed is clearly not composed of clinical changes of great import, but it is a measurable proxy.
The rate of change in complexity and the availability of new treatments is high, the growth in efficiency is low, and the requirement for more time per patient—not less—suggests that most forecasts using the common physicians-per-100,000-population metric are off by a significant factor. We come up with numbers that look more like 5% to 10% growth needed in medical specialties and primary care. Seriously, does no one factor in the rate of technological change in these prognostications?
But here’s the AAMC and others congratulating themselves for successfully lobbying for another 200 positions. We’ll give it to them. 🙂
Medicare-Supported GME Residency Positions Look to Grow the Physician Workforce and Expand Health Care Access - Medical Economics
More Workplace Control Leads to Less Burnout for Physicians in Health Systems, Study Finds
A Medical Economics article on a study of workplace burnout among physicians. Increased control and influence over their environment increases job satisfaction and reduces physician burnout. Well, duh. This applies to any employee. But for physicians, the named subjects are patient volumes, team support, hiring decisions, scheduling and general workload. Still, the study lends credence to six specific areas that are the primary impacts on physician practice environment, and where practice or hospital management interferes with physician control.
More Workplace Control Leads to Less Burnout for Physicians in Health Systems, Study Finds - Medical Economics
QUIZ QUESTION
20-year-old college student with prolonged productive cough and fatigue
His past medical history is negative. His past surgical history is significant for tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy at 9 years of age. He is not taking any medications and has no known allergies to medications. He has seasonal allergies to mold and ragweed for which he uses over-the-counter antihistamines as needed. He does not smoke but his roommate is a smoker. His roommate has a pet parakeet.
On examination, he is a thin man in no distress. Lung auscultation reveals crackles and wheezing. His temperature is 99.8°F.
Chest x-ray reveals a nonspecific diffuse interstitial pattern. Computed tomography reveals ground-glass opacities in the lower lobes. Pulmonary function studies reveal reduced forced vital and total lung capacities, with the preservation of airflow.
Lung biopsy reveals the following hematoxylin and eosin stain at 40× magnification (see figure):
Which of the following is the most likely etiology of his symptoms?
- his roommate’s pet parakeet
- chronic obstructive asthma
- asbestos in the apartment building
- secondhand smoke from his roommate
- mononucleosis
