Physician Wellness

Let’s Foster Physician Wellness Together

In order to take steps forward in patient care, we all need to make great strides in physician care. Research shows that burnout is more common among physicians than any other U.S. workers. For physiatrists, the numbers are even higher with 63% reporting that they experienced burnout in 2014. The statistics are most dire for medical students, residents and fellows. Without individual, institutional and systematic changes, everyone will pay the price. Physician burnout and depression are linked to medical errors, depersonalized care and physicians leaving the field altogether. Reducing physician burnout is critical to achieving the AAP’s mission – and the sustained future of quality healthcare. Below, you’ll find resources that will guide you and your institution to a path of wellness.

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The AAP RFC Wellbeing Subcommittee

The AAP Resident/ Fellow Council (RFC) Wellbeing Subcommittee was established in Spring 2019. Our goal is to provide information and resources to support PM&R physician wellness on a national level so that we encourage and inspire each other to practice physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and social wellness.

On this page, we have listed burnout assessment tools and resources for building your resilience. We hope you find them helpful. If you have any recommendations for us to add to our lists, please let us know! Meet out team here.

Assessment

The first step towards managing burnout is recognizing the symptoms of burnout and measuring it. Many different assessment tools exist for measuring burnout and the different dimensions of wellbeing. Monitoring burnout and wellbeing can be important for developing interventions that improve wellbeing in PM&R departments and addressing the challenges faced by residents. Read more on Assessment Tools.

Dimensions of Wellness

Wellness encompasses 8 mutually interdependent dimensions: physical, intellectual, emotional, social, spiritual, occupational, financial and environmental. Attention must be given to all the dimensions, as neglect of any one over time will adversely affect the others, and ultimately one’s health, well-being and quality of life. Learn more about each dimension and tips on how to balance it.

AAP Resources

• Physiatry Communities
  Being part of a community which shares your interests and purpose in life can be beneficial to your social wellbeing. It can also help keep you informed about the latest developments in your area of interest. The AAP has many communities which can help keep you connected to the things you love. Find them all here.
• Mentoring
  Mentoring has been shown to have a positive effect upon wellness as well as reducing burnout. It can be helpful to have a mentor who can guide you along your career path to help reach your goals. Mentoring is proven to have positive effects on both mentor and mentee, providing a mutually beneficial relationship to both parties. You can enroll in the AAP mentoring program here.
• Words of Wellness
  Words of Wellness is an initiative launched by the AAP RFC Wellbeing Subcommittee in Fall 2019. In every issue of Physiatry Forward, the AAP’s member magazine, our subcommittee puts together recipes, workouts, podcasts, residency initiatives and more to encourage AAP members to devote time to their wellbeing (and that of their trainees). Read the archives here.
• AAP Podcasts
  The AAP RFC Wellbeing Subcommittee has made podcasts that are focused on physician wellbeing and may be helpful to listen to on your ride into work or while getting in some exercise. You can find a list of podcasts here.
• Mental Health Resources
  The AAP RFC Wellbeing Subcommittee has collected mental health information and resources that can be utilized to seek help in managing stress and in times of a mental health crisis. You can find the resources here.
• Tips for Diet, Exercise & Sleep
  The AAP RFC Wellbeing Subcommittee has collected a list of practical recommendations you can follow to help improve your diet, exercise, and sleep. You can find the list here.
• Other Resources