Cancer surgeons' distress and well-being

There are two recent articles in the Ann Surg Oncol titled, "Cancer surgeons' distress and well-being." Some interesting findings regarding career-related stress, coping mechanisms, and work-life balance.

Cancer surgeons' distress and well-being, I: the tension between a culture of productivity and the need for self-care.

Among the 72 surgeons who responded (response rate of 73%), we found that 42% of surgeons reported burnout and 27% psychiatric levels of distress, while 30% used alcohol and 13% used sleep medications as a possible means to cope. Only one third of surgeons reported high quality of life across physical, emotional, spiritual, and intellectual domains.

Cancer surgeons' distress and well-being, II: modifiable factors and the potential for organizational interventions.

Among the 72 surgeons who responded (response rate of 73%), surgeons identified high stress from medical lawsuits, pressure to succeed in research, financial worries, negative attitudes to gender, and ability to cope with patients' suffering and death. Workplace features requiring greatest change were the reimbursement system, administrative support, and schedule. Work-life balance and relationship issues with spouse or partner caused high stress. Strongest correlations with distress were a desire to change communication with patients and the tension between the time devoted to work versus time available to be with family. Surgeons' preferences for interventions favored a fitness program, nutrition consultation, and increased socialization with colleagues, with less interest in interventions conventionally used to address psychological distress.

Wharton Executive Education Health Care Programs

Wharton offers 3 unique executive education programs through it "Industry Associations: Health Care Programs"

* Wharton/DePuy The Surgeon Executive: Strategic Management for the High-Performing Practice
* Wharton/Windhover Program for Pharmaceutical and Biotech Executives
* Wharton Nursing Leaders Program

Here's more information about each program:

Wharton/DePuy The Surgeon Executive: Strategic Management for the High-Performing Practice:

This three-day workshop is designed for orthopedic surgeons, neurosurgeons, IR/INR or sports medicine physicians in private practice who want a better understanding of current issues in managing a surgical practice. This program will help you to focus on developing business management skills related to such issues as:

* Strategy Under Uncertainty
* Value Creation: Relationship Between Finance and Strategy
* Foundations in Finance
* Marketing Strategy: Segmentation and Positioning
* Capital Budgeting: Leasing vs. Buying
* Developing a Marketing Plan

Wharton/Windhover Program for Pharmaceutical and Biotech Executives:

The Wharton/Windhover Program gives current and future industry leaders insight into the changes and challenges of each key area of the business. Taught by CEOs, top researchers and drug developers, senior marketing executives, policy and pricing experts, industry deal-makers, and Wharton faculty, the course will give you broad perspectives and practical tools. Faculty discuss the management implications of the new techniques of drug discovery, marketing and pricing in the current environment, financial evaluation and deals, and mergers and alliances.

Biodesign Innovation Fellowship (for surgical residents)

Stanford University offers a novel opportunity called the Biodesign Innovation Fellowship for surgical residents.

Surgical Fellowship

A subset of the Biodesign Innovation Fellowship is the Surgical Fellowship - available to surgical residents in their research years. They join the Biodesign Innovation Fellowship and spend two years. Those who wish to join the Innovation fellowship but are also completing their Surgical Residency or Fellowship may apply for the special Innovation Surgical Fellowship, which is a two-year program.

FDA Fellowship

The Biodesign program offers a fellowship opportunity at the Center for Devices and Radiological Health at the FDA. Read more on the FDA Fellowship page.

Learn more on the Stanford Biodesign website.

Featured physician executive: Barry C. Dorn, MD

Each week here on NonClinicalJobs.com, we feature a physician executive. This week's featured physician executive is Barry C. Dorn, MD.

Here's some information about Dr. Dorn from the Excel Orthopedics website:

After 35 years, I will be leaving the practice of orthopedic surgery to work full time at the Harvard School of Public Health. Knowing and caring for so many wonderful people during my time in practice has been a great privilege for me.

Here's some more information about Dr. Dorn from Wikipedia:

Barry C. Dorn, M.D. (born 1941) is Associate Director of the National Preparedness Leadership Initiative (NPLI), a joint program of Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and the John F. Kennedy School of Government and Associate Director of the Program for Health Care Negotiation and Conflict Resolution at HSPH. He is also an Instructor in Public Health Practice at HSPH and Clinical Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at the Tufts University School of Medicine. Formerly, he practiced at Excel Orthopedic Specialists. He retired from medical practice in 2007. Dr. Dorn is among the leaders in the development of the health care negotiation and conflict resolution field.

Professional Burnout Among Surgeons

Are you experiencing burnout? In the August 16, 2010 edition of the Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg, we see this issue addressed among very specialized surgeons. Here's the full title of the study: "Professional Burnout Among Microvascular and Reconstructive Free-Flap Head and Neck Surgeons in the United States."

Objectives  To determine the prevalence of professional burnout among microvascular free-flap (MVFF) head and neck surgeons and to identify modifiable risk factors with the intent to reduce MVFF surgeon burnout.

Design  A cross-sectional, observational study.

Setting  A questionnaire mailed to MVFF surgeons in the United States.

Participants  A total of 60 MVFF surgeons.

Main Outcomes Measures  Professional burnout was quantified using the Maslach Burnout Inventory–Human Services Study questionnaire, which defines burnout as the triad of high emotional exhaustion (EE), high depersonalization (DP), and low personal accomplishment. Additional data included demographic information and subjective assessment of professional stressors, satisfaction, self-efficacy, and support systems using Likert score scales. Potential risk factors for burnout were determined via significant association (P < .05) by Fisher exact tests and analyses of variance.

Results  Of the 141 mailed surveys, 72 were returned, for a response rate of 51%, and 60 of the respondents were practicing MVFF surgeons. Two percent of the responding MVFF surgeons experienced high burnout (n = 1); 73%, moderate burnout (n = 44); and 25%, low burnout (n = 15). Compared with other otolaryngology academic faculty and department chairs, MVFF surgeons had similar or lower levels of burnout. On average, MVFF surgeons had low to moderate EE and DP scores. High EE was associated with excess workload, inadequate administration time, work invading family life, inability to care for personal health, poor perception of control over professional life, and frequency of irritable behavior toward loved ones (P < .001). On average, MVFF surgeons experienced high personal accomplishment.

Conclusions  Most MVFF surgeons experience moderate professional burnout secondary to moderate EE and DP. This may be a problem of proper balance between professional obligations and personal life goals. Most MVFF surgeons, nonetheless, experience a high level of personal accomplishment in their profession.

Study by Stephanie P. Contag, BA; Justin S. Golub, MD; Theodoros N. Teknos, MD; Brian Nussenbaum, MD; Brendan C. Stack Jr, MD; David J. Arnold, MD; Michael M. Johns III, MD

Click here for more information.

661,400 vs. 2.6 million jobs

These are the numbers you'll find if you look on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Office of Occupational Statistics and Employment Projections website at BLS.gov.

In 2008, physicians held 661,400 jobs. There are approximately 2.6 million jobs for nurses.

That's approximately a 1:4 ratio of physicians to nurses.

Physicians and surgeons held about 661,400 jobs in 2008; approximately 12 percent were self-employed. About 53 percent of wage–and-salary physicians and surgeons worked in offices of physicians, and 19 percent were employed by hospitals. Others practiced in Federal, State, and local governments, educational services, and outpatient care centers.

Registered nurses (RNs) constitute the largest healthcare occupation, with 2.6 million jobs. About 60 percent of RN jobs are in hospitals.

Data from the Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition
Physicians and Surgeons
Registered Nurses