18. “I Am Afraid That I’m Burning Out” with Dr. Amelia Bueche

Aug 18

Burnout is one of the most common reasons physicians take time off from or even leave their jobs. I’m joined by Dr. Amelia Bueche from This Osteopathic Life to talk about how you can spot early signs of burnout and prevent reaching that point.

Listen to Episode 18 Here

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The Chief Complaint: "I'm afraid that I am burning out" with Dr. Amelia Bueche

Dr. Amelia Bueche is a physician, parent, athlete, writer, entrepreneur, and the Founder and Director of This Osteopathic Life. She focuses on the integration of Mind, Body, Spirit: considering the person, not the disease, and finding the health are the pillars on which she builds her personal and professional philosophy.

This Osteopathic Life is for everyone and for everything - recognizing our common unity, capacity for self-healing, the relationship of structure and function, and learning how to apply these principles in a unique and powerful way to encourage healing and the health of humanity.

Amelia joins me today to talk about burnout. Burnout is especially common in physicians as, let’s face it, we’re pretty much taught to work until we drop. In fact, 44% of hospital physicians reported burnout last year alone.

Why is it so common? How is it even possible to miss the signs that you’re approaching burnout? Amelia explains what some of the early warning signs of burnout are, so make sure you’re on the lookout.

She also talks about the biggest contributing factors that lead to physicians burning out. I’m a perfect example - I burned out before I hit 5 years working full-time in my field. We need to work together to change the system from the inside and help prevent burnout for our future physicians.

One thing both Amelia and I urge is to seek support if you feel you need some help. Us physicians recommend to our patients to seek mental health support - we need to normalize it for ourselves, too! There’s no shame in seeking out therapy or a qualified coach.

We also talk about the difference between therapy and coaching because so many people don’t actually know the difference. While both are helpful when you need that extra support, coaching reminds you that you have the power to make positive changes in your own life.

Finally, Amelia gives some practical tips on how you can actively avoid burnout. From being aware of the warning signs to ensuring you’re getting enough exercise to seeking out help, there are ways to prevent yourself from getting to the point.

Homework

Have you experienced burnout in your career as a physician? Is your clinical organization set-up to help physicians when they experience exhaustion? Let me know in the comments below how that was for you!

In This Episode

How you can miss the signs that you’re approaching a burnout
Some of the early warning signs of a burnout
The biggest contributing factors leading to physician burnout
Why we need to normalize seeking support
Where coaching in large-scale medical institutions is heading
The difference between therapy and coaching
How you can prevent burnout

Quotes

“Burnout isn’t always, ‘I hate my job and I want to leave it.’ It’s when we stop looking like the self that we recognize, or the self that we want to be, and it shows up in all those little common ways.” (6:42)

“Burnout is when we feel like we don’t have any choices.” (8:17)

“What coaching does is remind you that you have the power within to help yourself in any situation. … You have the capacity for healing, you can do a lot on your own, -and- sometimes you need more support.” (20:46)