BLOG: Meaning is the antidote to burnout
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The burnout pandemic rages on with no appreciable signs of relenting. Insurance hassles, reimbursement decline, compliance labyrinths and the omnipresent documentation loads all tend to sap the lifeblood of orthopedic surgeons.
Yet, we are not powerless. We can choose our response and attitude to every circumstance that befalls us. When we focus and find real meaning in our vocation, our energy will be replenished and each day will be more fulfilling.
Viktor Frankl
In his famous treatise, Man’s Search for Meaning, Viktor E. Frankl wrote, “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms – to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” He continues by adding, “He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.”
In other words, when we can connect to the cardinal reason most of us sought a medical vocation (service), we will find the means and energy to meet the ever-present demands thrust upon us.
The literature is clear. Those who adopt a service-based orientation are more peaceful, content and fulfilled. When we meditate on the absolute privilege and capacity we have to improve the lives of so many, we will find the energy to negotiate the call nights, the peer-to-peer encounters and the electronic medical record. Each of us has been blessed with the ability to restore patients to comfortable ambulation, return them to sports participation and eradicate their pain from a degenerative limb or soft tissue. The significance we can play into the lives of another person will never be matched by the cleverest Wall Street prodigy or hedge fund manager.
I am not saying we should ignore the fiscal realities of practice. Obviously, we must responsibly keep our bottom line positive. However, a life solely based on relative value units and revenue generation is a fast track to a shallow and unfulfilled life.
Getting ‘paid’
I was fortunate to play in a summer charity football game in high school, enduring twice daily practices in the sweltering August sun. After a week of grueling workouts, some players called a team meeting to boost morale. I will never forget the words of a talented defensive back who flatly stated, “All this hard work is worth it because next Saturday (game day), we will get paid.” This young man ascribed meaning to the double sessions and subsequently the team, buoyed with the “why,” dedicated another week of deliberate practice and defeated our opponent handily.
When we choose to look at a positive surgical outcome as “getting paid,” we are aligning our efforts to true meaningful work. I frequently tell my residents and fellows after a positive postoperative office encounter, “I just got paid.”
Furthermore, when patients sense that your chief motivation is their well-being, you gain their respect. Their satisfaction and compliance will markedly increase, and your reputation in the community will be impeccable.
Tomorrow morning, ask yourself: Why am I doing this? If you answer: “to serve,” you will have more spring in your step and more positivity infused into your day. Your patients will sense your intentions and chances are, your waiting room will never be wont of patients.
References:
Frankl VE. Man’s search for meaning. 1985; Simon and Schuster.
Scanlan L. Healthc Financ Manage. 2005;59(2):50-56.
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