“It strikes me that if you need a chief wellness officer who not only can understand the dynamics of burnout but can understand what a short path it is from being burned out to being depressed, suicidal, or addicted, who would be better suited than a psychiatrist? I really think that in many ways, this may be a career path for psychiatrists,” Dr. Kirch said.
Even with the appointment of chief wellness officers, the problem will not soon go away. Although Dr. Kirch believes interventions are needed from the beginning of medical training, he acknowledged that eliminating burnout “is a heavy lift, because there is no single solution.” Listing regulatory burdens, administrative burdens, lack of support staff, and a sense of isolation among documented causes of burnout, he believes identifying all of the solutions to relieve stress and improve clinical satisfaction “will be a journey.”
Dr. Kirch reported no potential conflicts of interest.