Resident Physician Burnout Wellness: Values
A 3rd year resident physician was talking about their current rotation. They were on week 6 of a 6 days per week, 12 hour days. Brutal for sure as this is almost double full time work. Tough stuff and common in residency. Then they talk about their motivation to continue and push forward. One of the resident’s main motivations was when he was walking into the hospital every morning, he would look into the attending parking lot and see Teslas, Lexus, and Mercedes. He was looking forward to the cars he could purchase, as well as the financial payout from becoming a physician.
Does this sound familiar? If it does, I have news for you and you need to grasp this concept. The earlier you understand, the earlier you’ll be able to shift the values and build towards a more balanced life. You’ll be able to dodge physician burnout syndrome.
The values we place on money means something. I’m not going to tell you money doesn’t mean anything. Of course it does. Life is significantly easier when you have money versus if you don’t have money. You will have money.
Your Values Play a Role in Resident Physician Wellness.
If you are going into medicine for the paycheck, I want to tell you there are ways to make more money than being a physician. Here’s the opportunity cost of being a doctor: 12 years of education (4 years undergrad, 4 years med school, 3-4 years residency) plus 195k average med school debt. Imagine what you could have done if you built a business after 8 years, if you went to undergrad, and had zero debt. Imagine if you got your MBA, left with only 40k debt and worked for 6 years. You could have made money in a lot of easier ways.
Online Therapy can Help Resident Physician Wellness.
I want you to make sure you are climbing up the right tree when you are working through your training and education. I want to make sure when you get to where you want to be, you realize everything you went through was for the right reason. It shouldn’t be about the money. The money is a result of your hard work, education, and luck. Money should not be the main reason why you are putting yourself through this. It can play a role but it shouldn’t be number one.
Here’s the reason why it shouldn’t be your top priority. As an attending physician, you’ll be able to afford almost anything you want. It’s not a matter of if you’ll be able to get that brand new toy. It’s more a matter of when you’ll get that brand new toy and what color you want it in. You want to go on vacation? The real question is, which destination do you want to go to this time. Income will not be an issue for you. You’ll be a top 10% earner. You will be fine. If you continue to place money as your top priority, you’re going to be in for a world of hurt. You’ll be on the treadmill of working to buy, upgrade, and do more. That cycle will continue until you get to the point of questioning what you are doing. I know, this is my speciality. I work with people like this.
I want you to dig deep and think about your values. Sure, the income you make is a factor but it cannot be the most important factor. It can lead to a road of emptiness. I’ll leave you with what I help many of my clients with. Fulfillment.
Find Resident Physician Wellness Solutions
Do you want to build your base emotional intelligence and improve your resident physician wellness? Reach out to me for a free 15-minute consultation. My name is Chris Rabanera and I provide online therapy in California, online Therapy in Michigan, and online therapy in Las Vegas. I work with issues such as physician burnout, anxiety, depression, individuals dealing with relationships, and grief.
