"You can't meditate your way out of a bad job." -- Larry DeLuca

The Medscape Physician Burnout and Depression Report repeatedly demonstrates that physicians feel their most important causes of burnout are job-related:  too many bureaucratic tasks, not enough autonomy, lack of respect from colleagues, administrators, and staff are among the top causes listed.

While physicians are very good at identifying workplace stressors as the main cause of their burnout, there's a significant disconnect between what they consider the causes of their burnout and solutions for it.   While exercise, talking with friends, and sleep (the top three ways in which physicians try and address burnout) are all excellent individual wellness strategies, they don't dress the main issue - our institutions are not well, and that leads to burnout and decreased job satisfaction for physicians.

Yet all too often, we see healthcare providers try to fix job burnout with personal wellness solutions alone.  Whether it's healthy strategies like mindfulness and yoga, or maladaptive ones like alcohol and substance use, none of these patches will fix the problems of a toxic workplace.  Workplace wellness problems need workplace wellness programs.

Happy Doc recognizes that individual wellness strategies are important, and the cornerstone of a personal wellness program.  However, we also recognize that institutional wellness is important.  You can't have mental or emotional wellness in the workplace without workplace wellness programs tailored to the unique stresses of your job.  We must find ways to make changes in our workplace where we can that will lessen the stressors that lead to burnout.  These might be small changes like a fix to the EHR, or big changes like extra pay for overnight coverage.  It might even mean going to a different workplace.

That's where Happy Doc comes in.    Workplace wellness programs focus on workplace issues and solutions.  We'll talk not just about the terms but also give you tools for self-assessment.  Where is the source of my burnout coming from?  How much is job?  Is some of it family?  Is this issue something that's within my purview to fix?  

Angels of Hippocrates has noted that burnout may be a personal issue, but it's mostly due to workplace problems.  That's why our programs take a three-pronged approach.  The Happy Doc curriculum includes both personal wellness and workplace wellness tracks.

Angels of Hippocrates has noted that burnout may be a personal issue, but it's mostly due to workplace problems.  This recent article from Mayo Clinic on workplace burnout  discusses symptoms of job or workplace burnout, causes of job burnout, and some strategies for managing or mitigating it.  

Job burnout won't go away on its own - you've got to attack the stressors and not just ameliorate the symptoms.  That's why our programs take a three-pronged approach.  The Happy Doc curriculum includes both personal wellness and workplace wellness tracks.

Just 11.  No, not even that!  Our typical programs are structured with CME in the morning and free time in the afternoon.  We take advantage of what each venue has to offer, and so at each locale the Happy Doc program will be structured somewhat differently.

There is only one major rule:  Everything is optional!  You can attend as much or as little of the CME programming as you choose.  If you want to join a group activity, great!  But if some solitude is what you need the places we host programs have plenty of options for quiet time alone or with your family.

We want you to come away feeling revitalized and enthusiastic about applying the principles we talk about when you get back to your workplace.  And a big part of that is letting you choose your own journey.