Episode 038: The Causes of Physician Burnout, Depression, & Suicide

Today, I revisited the topic physician burnout and looking at the numbers at who is suffering and what the causes are. Specifically, Medscape published its 2019 Survey of Physician Burnout, Depression, & Suicide that dives deep into the demographics and causes of the phenomena. However, what was notably absent from the possible causes for burnout was financial matters. What effect does a high personal debt have on physician well being? And if it is a problem, as my guest believes, how can you find your out of debt to improve your psyche as a physician?

My guest today is Dr. Cory S. Fawcett, who is a recently retired general surgeon and award winning author, helps me dive into the numbers of the survey. Unfortunately, the numbers are sobering. Burnout is a real problem in medicine for physicians and the causes - according to the survey - are the ones you would expect that we have covered in the show before. They are: bureaucratic hassles, electronic health record, and long hours worked. Women suffer at a rate of 50% and men at 38% I suspect because of the roles that the sexes play in our society leaving more stressors of the family on the shoulders of the female professionals.

However, as Dr. Fawcett points out, one important question on the form that wasn't listed as a cause were personal finances. Debt, he suggests, is an extremely intense stressor for professionals that encourages them to do extra work, work longer, and maybe even work in a field or job they wouldn't have chosen if they weren't facing six figure debt loads. He argues that perhaps the best way of getting burnout under control in medicine is by controlling debt and eliminating it completely.

He has written three books on how to control your finances as a physician by focusing on starting a career right, eliminating debt, and finding ways to get other sources of income for retirement. His book on eliminating debt is the one we focused on in this episode and describes a practical step by step guide to how to knock out your debt and bring you some real financial peace.

Corey S. Fawcett, MD — Dr. Corey Fawcett is an award winning author and recently retired general surgeon from private practice in Oregon. His books highlight how to begin setting up your practice, eliminating debt, and how to earn passive money in retirement.

Direct Download Link

show notes

@drcorysfawcett: Twittering for Dr. Fawcett

Dr. Corey S. Fawcett: The home page for Dr. Fawcett where you can find all his writings and contact him to get help with your finances. Be sure to sign up for his free weekly email updates.

Episode 033: Walking Away from it All with Dr. Leif Dahleen on the FIRE movement.

Episode 023: How HIPAA Destroyed Patient Privacy with Twila Brase, RN

Episode 030: The Epidemic of Physician Suicide with Dr. Pam Wible

Episode 009: Doctor, Heal Thyself with Dr. Stacia Dearmin examining the relationship with physician suicide and malpractice.

Memorial for Andy Larson: This is the donation link to honor Andy's death with the Grand Rapids Choir of Men and Boys where he blossomed and served as a head chorister.

YouTube for Paradocs: Here you can watch the video of my late son singing his solo on the Paradocs YouTube page.

Patreon - Become a show supporter today and visit my Patreon page for extra bonus material. Every dollar raised goes towards the production and promotion of the show.

Episode 038: The Causes of Physician Burnout, Depression, & Suicide with Dr. Corey Fawcett

Episode 038