MADISON, Wis.– “How are you?”
It’s the first thing doctors usually say to us when they walk in the room.
March 30 is National Doctors’ Day, so News 3 Now decided to flip the script and ask local doctors that same question. The answers, as you’ll find below, are emotional, raw, and relatable.
“I’ve been tired,” said Dr. Matt Anderson, when asked what kind of toll the past year has taken on him. “I think a lot of the fatigue that sets in is both emotional and physical.”
Anderson has been studying medicine since he started medical school at the University of Iowa in 2001. 20 years, two jobs, and one pandemic later, he’s learned to rely on the little things to get him through each day.
“I think the weather getting better certainly helps quite a bit,” he said, with a smile. “It’s also important to focus on what’s meaningful. That we’re doing really meaningful work.”
Research has consistently ranked healthcare jobs as the most stressful under normal circumstances. A recent survey of 2,000 physicians over the past year revealed stress levels are spiking: Nearly one in four doctors knows a physician who’s died by suicide, and the majority (58%) expressed feelings of burn out themselves, a 20% jump in two years.
“It’s been a terrible year,” said Dr. Doug Hobson, a physician at SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital. Like Anderson, Hobson credits the people he loves for keeping his mental health in check, but says that also adds another layer of stress.
“Am I putting my family in harm’s way by going to work everyday?” he questioned. “I’ve thought about that a lot. And I’ve done things like getting undressed in the garage, so I don’t spread anything to my family.”
Both doctors agree the worst is hopefully behind all of us, but the biggest lesson from this past year is simple.
“Control what you can control and let go of the things you can’t,” said Dr. Anderson.
When it comes to doctors’ own mental health, Hobson added that he’s most concerned about physicians like his wife, who work in Wisconsin’s rural communities. They often have little or no interaction with other doctors, so it can be difficult for them to decompress.
All three of Madison’s major hospital systems offer support services for physicians. Here are some examples, provided by SSM Health:
- ‘Kitchen table chats’: 30-minute sessions led by psychiatrists, who offer recommendations on how to deal with common emotions
- Virtual ‘Schwartz Rounds’: Designed to help staff connect over a similar challenge or topic, doctors share their experiences and coping skills during sessions, led by a trained facilitator
- Drop-in virtual support groups: Open to all staff, these groups are also led by experts who provide resources and offer guidance
These are in addition to the ongoing Employee Assistance Program, which each healthcare system has always offered its staff. The free, confidential service provides staff with resources to manage work-life balance, offers in-person and virtual counseling, well-being coaching and more.
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