Physician burnout is an epidemic in healthcare. This doctor blog explores ways to treat, prevent, and beat burnout through physician coaching programs.
Update April 2026 Medicine should challenge you, not break you. It is a profession that demands rigor and sacrifice, but there is a meaningful difference between leaning into a healthy growth edge and slipping into harmful strain. Feeling engaged, stretched, and motivated to learn is invigorating. Chronic exhaustion, cynicism, and detachment are signs something has […]
Updated April 2026 Medicine has always been challenging. For many physicians, that challenge is part of the draw. It is what gets you out of bed after a long shift, what motivates you to prove you can do hard things and make a real difference. But in 2026, working in healthcare has become more exhausting, […]
Physician burnout is not just a buzzword. It is a lived experience for many of us in medicine. After years of long hours, moral injury, and relentless charting, I found myself emotionally exhausted and disconnected from the work that once brought me joy. Coaching was one of the tools that helped me reclaim a sense […]
Originally published January 2026 · Updated April 2026 As physicians, we are trained to push through, to prioritize patients, and to normalize high stress. That works for a while — until it doesn’t. This hub brings together what I teach physicians in coaching: how to name burnout clearly, how to recognize moral injury when the […]
It’s December, you’re standing in the kitchen at 9 PM, still in your scrubs, trying to wrap presents while mentally reviewing tomorrow’s patient list. Your partner asks about weekend plans, your phone buzzes with call schedules, and somewhere in the back of your mind, you’re wondering when you last sat down for more than five […]
The Best Gift You Can Give Yourself This Holiday Season? Choosing what you want, not what you feel you “should” do. Physicians are masters of responsibility. We say yes because someone needs us. We show up because people rely on us. We push aside our own needs because the world around us seems to depend […]
It happens in the quiet moments between patients. That subtle yet persistent voice asking, “Is this all there is?” You catch yourself staring blankly at your EHR screen, wondering how you morphed from the idealistic medical student you once were into the exhausted physician you have become. The secure chat alerts for the fifth time […]
You are a new attending physician! Congratulations! You made it through one of the most transformative education and professional training experiences that exists. Are you ready for what comes next? Medical training is like running a marathon. Equal parts grueling, consuming, relentless, and rewarding. Every step forward often comes at a personal cost. As a […]
The Unexpected Teacher: An 8-Pound Lesson in Joy Kittle, a feisty Tibetan terrier-poodle mix named after former Iowa Hawkeye and current San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle, arrived weighing just eight pounds. What started as a simple decision to fill the emptiness left by our beloved dogs, Stanzi and Moe, became an unexpected journey […]
Have you ever left a multidisciplinary team meeting feeling unheard, frustrated, and convinced that no progress was made? If so, you’re not alone. Many healthcare professionals face challenges when it comes to communicating effectively with colleagues. While 89% of physicians excel at patient communication, only 34% feel confident communicating with their peers. This gap in […]
