I really want to be positive and presume we all want the same thing; that is to be successful, enjoy caring for our patients and to be reimbursed commensurate with our efforts.
Physicians are typically self motivated and value their autonomy. If we want physicians to be engaged we need to recognize and encourage their strengths rather than boxing them in and limiting their creativity. It can be a fine line between a disruptive physician and a free thinker with out of the box ideas.
When we look at physicians that are “burned out” we typically see physicians that are not engaged and it has been my observation that they have not been engaged in quite some time. Frequently these providers have not been interested in social interactions with colleagues and don’t take part in functions sponsored by the medical staff or hospital organization. By not being part of the medical staff “family” they lose a valuable source of peer support and may not be considered team players.