Paediatric anaesthesia
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Burnout is a state of emotional and physical exhaustion associated with internal and external stressors. Drivers of burnout include the expectation that we as physicians place our patients first, ahead of our own self-care; that seeking help is a sign of weakness in the culture of medicine; practice inefficiencies, including those imposed by electronic medical records; and a lack of personal resilience suffered by many physicians. The costs of burnout are high, including a decrement in the quality of care, increased turnover, and physician suicide. ⋯ We can enhance our resilience with a variety of tools, including meditation and mindfulness practice. Fortunately, these practices are becoming more mainstream and readily available to us. This article will briefly review the problem of burnout, including drivers and costs, and then focus on meditation and mindfulness practices that we may embrace in order to become more resilient.
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Paediatric anaesthesia · Jan 2021
Pediatric anesthesia training to early career stage: opportunities for firm foundations.
Attaining professional contentment can be challenging for many. Academic success, psychosocial support, and the confidence to provide excellent clinical care at the workplace are key pillars that can help build a sense of meaning in a career. The role of mentorship in facilitating these key pillars at different stages of pediatric anesthesia training and new independent practice is instrumental. ⋯ Mentees should seek out mentors early in training, build on these relationships, and explore opportunities for peer mentorship as they advance in their career. For mentors, introducing mentees to the clinical and academic aspects of pediatric anesthesia and setting the foundation for the mentee to advance in their career can be both gratifying and stimulating. In this article, we explore the development and progression of a mentor-mentee relationship through training to the early career stage and its role in developing a meaningful career in pediatric anesthesia.
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Paediatric anaesthesia · Jan 2021
ReviewWell-being Curriculum for Anesthesiology Residents: Development, Processes, and Preliminary Outcomes.
Physician burnout and healthcare worker stress are well-covered topics in both the medical and lay press. Burnout in physicians can start as early as medical school. Well-being initiatives, programming, and access to support for all medical professionals are of paramount importance. ⋯ This subcategory charges all residency and fellowship programs with establishing a curriculum in well-being. The development, execution, and evaluation of these programs are left to the individual institutions. In this paper, the development, processes, and preliminary outcomes of a resident well-being curriculum are presented.
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The purpose of this educational review was to describe the challenges that may face the anesthesiologist near the end of their career and to propose strategies that will enable the individual to continue to be a productive and valued member of their Department, both clinically and by other contributions.
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Paediatric anaesthesia · Jan 2021
ReviewNot a "first world problem" - care of the Anesthetist in East and Southern Africa.
Burnout and related concepts such as resilience, wellness, and taking care of healthcare professionals have become increasingly prevalent in the medical literature. Most of the work in this area comes from high-income countries, with the remainder from upper-middle-income countries, and very little from lower-middle-income or low-income countries. Sub-Saharan Africa is particularly poorly represented in this body of literature. ⋯ According to the Joint Learning Initiative Managing for Performance framework, the three essential factors for building a workforce to effectively support a healthcare system are coverage, competence, and motivation. Current efforts to build capacity in anesthesia in East and Southern Africa focus largely on coverage and competence, but neglect motivation at the risk of failing to support a sustainable workforce. In this paper, we include a review of the relevant literature, as well as draw from personal experience living and working in East and Southern Africa, to describe the unique issues surrounding burnout, resilience, and wellness in this region.