Why docs feel dissed
Arlen Meyers, MD, MBA
President and CEO, Society of Physician Entrepreneurs, another lousy golfer, terrible cook
You might have noticed the last time you visited your doctor that he or she was a little grumpy.?
COVID-19 exposed the nation’s lack of?health equity?as, early in the epidemic, a disproportionate negative impact was found among Black, American Indian and Native Alaskan, Hispanic, Asian and Pacific Islander communities. It has now also become clear that the physicians who practice in and belong to those same communities often bear a larger portion of the pandemic’s toll as well.
Doctors are complaining a lot. They are having a hard time adapting to the pace of change and stuck in the anger stage of grief. Simply put, they feel:
1. Disintermediated by advanced practice practitioners, alternative providers and a cadre of data scientists filling the space between the docs and the data.
2. Disenchanted with a profession that has been commoditized
3. Disengaged as an employed workforce
4. Disregarded when it comes to demands and pleas for regaining control
5. Distracted by non-clinical and entrepreneurial activities
6. Distorted by the media and politicians
7. Disoriented by the a fire hose of rules, regulations and bureacracy.
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8. Disorganized as a profession
9. Disconnected from their patients
10. Discontent and dissatisfied resulting in drop outs, burn outs and suicide.
Tens of millions of American workers who saw their lives and careers disrupted by the COVID pandemic took a step back to explore new working opportunities or even not work at all. Dubbed the Great Resignation, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, workers quit their jobs at a record pace of?nearly 4 million per month?in 2021, and if anything, the employment exodus is only accelerating in 2022 with?4.5 million people?quitting in March and an additional?4.4 million?in April.
Not surprisingly, healthcare ranks among the industries hit the hardest by the sudden absence of workers. Thanks largely to the continuing strain of the pandemic, the industry has been losing?more than 500,000 employees per month in 2022, rivaling employment losses in lower-wage industries like retail and food service. And just as with the broader population, the problem isn't going away.
Some docs will only put up with it for so long.?Others will adapt and be happy. But, only if they look in the right places.
The science of happiness has come a long way and grumpy doctors can learn some lessons from their social science colleagues.?
Either way, we'll need to do something about dis soon.
Arlen Meyers, MD, MBA is the President of the Society of Physician Entrepreneurs on Substack
Keynote Speaker?? Expert Consultant on Decision Making & Behavioral Economics in Health/Medicine ??Author ??Researcher ??Full Professor
3 年Thank you, Arlen Meyers, MD, MBA for this grim picture, but mainly for acknowledging that what doctors experience as personal (and patients likewise experience when interacting with their doctors) is in fact a by-product of a system. And this system has got to change.
Very clever!
ENT doctor in San Francisco
8 年As a practicing physician, I would amplify that the biggest DIS is the disconnection, and the biggest reason is the forced use of the cumbersome EMR and its gaggle of rules for "Meaningful Use" that have physicians either no longer facing their patients directly, or not facing their own families as they sit at home for hours finishing their electronic charts. I believe that the unintended consequences will indeed be a loss of physicians in practice. There is already a loss of the quality of the medical record as many physicians offload this work (in order to continue to have a life) on less qualified individuals.
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9 年It is unfortunate that with all the medical community has to deal with in just healing patients that they would also have to deal with these issues.
Father, Husband, Surgeon, Patriot, constantly striving to achieve self-mastery and positively impact every life I touch. Passionate about supporting our Heroes through the SEAL Future and Give to Give Foundation.
10 年And Distressed...all of the "dises" come at a very high emotional and at times even financial price. Great down and dirty post