Prioritizing purpose, setting limitations key to minimizing burnout, achieving balance
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A panel discussion at American Society for Radiation Oncology Annual Meeting focused on provider burnout in oncology.
“Burnout and finding work-life balance is a significant problem in our field, especially for early career physicians trying to balance young kids and a desire to advance one’s career,” session co-leader Leah Katz, MD, MPH, radiation oncologist and researcher at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, told Healio. “The problem of burnout is significant among health care workers, especially in the post-COVID era. We now find ourselves in an environment where unlimited responsiveness is expected, which contributes to overall burnout.”
‘Significant problem’ in medicine
During the session — titled “Getting It All Done: Practical Strategies at All Career Stages” — Katz and Crystal Seldon Taswell, MD, radiation oncologist and researcher with Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, addressed the extent of burnout within radiation oncology and in medicine overall.
Burnout rates among radiation oncologists ranged from 27.3% to 46% between 2011 and 2020, Katz said. Satisfaction with work-life integration ranged from 43.5% to 54.5% during that same time.
“Of 24 specialties, radiation oncology was 21st in percentage of respondents experiencing burnout and seventh in greatest satisfaction with wellness,” Katz said. “Although these are favorable compared with other specialties, they point to a more significant problem in medicine as a whole.”
Seldon Taswell and Katz also addressed the curriculum gap that residents face in terms of time management and balance.
Seldon Taswell emphasized the need for these skills to be incorporated into physician training to ensure they are discussed early in one’s career.
“Training should address skills needed to manage increased demands on limited time, such as organization, time management and efficiency,” Seldon Taswell told Healio. “Balancing all of one’s clinical obligations, in addition to research and personal life responsibilities, are key drivers to burnout among residents.”
Finding balance
Panelists like Sara Beltran Ponce, MD, radiation oncology resident at Medical College of Wisconsin and a mother, addressed the importance of finding balance during various career stages and life circumstances.
“Dr. Beltran Ponce provided very insightful advice on balancing work and parental responsibilities, with some of the best advice being to spend quality one-on-one time with your children each day,” Katz said. “She also discussed the imperative need to disconnect from technology when trying to cultivate quality time with family.”
Matthew S. Katz, MD, medical director of radiation oncology at Lowell General Hospital and a parent, emphasized the importance of maintaining balance through career changes and prioritizing family when pursuing career opportunities.
“Dr. Katz provided great advice on the need to prioritize what is going to work best for your family, and then developing your job or career around that central tenet,” Leah Katz said. “He explained that we also need to accept that our time is finite, so becoming clear on what our core values are is very important in order to effectively allocate our time each day to that which matters most.”
Anthony D’Amico, MD, PhD, chief of the division of genitourinary radiation oncology and professor of radiation oncology at Harvard Medical School, discussed the importance of aligning daily routines with core values.
“Dr. D’Amico provided great insight into work-life balance, noting that you can have it all but not at once,” Seldon Taswell said. “It is important to make time for items that give us purpose and drive our passions. He recommends incorporating personal and physician wellness pieces in one’s day — such as eating dinner with family and exercising before clinic — in order to reduce stress and burnout.”
D'Amico said he makes time to mentor newer physicians, not only because it helps them but because it is meaningful to him.
“In regard to mentorship, Dr. D’Amico noted that it is important to prioritize items that you value,” Seldon Taswell said. “He enjoys being a mentor/mentee and noted that mentorship is extremely important in progressing one’s career — therefore, he always makes time in his schedule for this.”
Christina Henson, MD, residency program director for radiation oncology at University of Oklahoma, addressed her approaches to balancing clinical, research and teaching responsibilities with the role of being a parent. Henson specifically discussed the unique challenges facing women in medicine.
“Dr. Henson discussed that achieving work-life balance is a process and, [although] stress will come during your pursuit of it, it is important to identify stressors and practice ways to process and handle stress,” Seldon Taswell said. “She noted that it is important as a woman to give yourself grace when it comes to parenting and household responsibilities.”
The panel discussion highlighted important concepts that facilitate work-life balance that rise during the course of a medical Career, Seldon Taswell said.
“[Although] work-life balance looks different for everyone, all versions are centered around prioritizing items in which we find purpose — whether that is family, research or something else,” she said. “In order to reduce burnout, it is also important to set goals and limitations within our professional and personal lives, as well as to allocate time to wellness.”
For more information:
Leah M. Katz, MD, MPH, can be reached at NewYork-Presbyterian Medical Group Hudson Valley, 1978 Crompond Road, Suite G1, Cortlandt, NY 10567; email: lk2563@cumc.columbia.edu.
Crystal Seldon Taswell, MD, can be reached at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, 1475 NW 12th Avenue, Miami, FL 33136; email: cstaswell@miami.edu.
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