For most people in the United States, feelings of workplace related stress and even job burnout are not uncommon. In fact, more than one million employees around the country miss work every single day because of reasons related to workplace stress, and 25% have reported that they have called in sick in order to take a mental health day at least once. Around two out of every three man or woman gainfully employed in the United States claim that their work has a considerable impact on their overall stress levels. Unfortunately, this can sometimes lead to symptoms of job burnout.
But though all people experience workplace stress at some point or another, physicians and medical professionals in the United States experience it at a disproportionate rate. Overall, physicians and medical professionals in the United States experience job burnout or symptoms to related to job burnout at rates of more than 35%. Young physicians under the age of 35 are particularly affected, experiencing job burnout rates of nearly 45%. And more than 45% of all physicians in the United States are currently experiencing at least one symptom of stress, if not full blown job burnout. Stress burnout symptoms are increasing common, and range from exhaustion to workplace anger.
These symptoms of job burnout have an overwhelmingly negative affect on the lives of many physicians, more so than do the general population. Take rates of depression among physicians, for instance. A physician in the United States is up to 30% more likely to experience symptoms of clinical depression than someone considered to be part of the general population. These depression symptoms can be handled with a professional therapist, psychiatrist, or combination of the two, but many people don’t seek the necessary treatment until their depression becomes severe and serious. Physicians are also up to 20% more likely to file for divorce than someone in the general population, showing that job burnout and symptoms of workplace stress often extend into the personal lives of those who are experiencing them on a regular and increased basis.
Part of the problem is that many physicians and medical professionals in the United States do not have a healthy work-life balance. In fact, medical professionals report to feeling unhappy with their work life balance more than any other career in the United States. This poor work life balance can not only lead to increased rates of job burnout, but to life burnout as well.
