Burnout is unfortunately something many people may experience at some point in their lives, whether through work, family responsibilities, or personal stress — and if it’s not treated, it can often impact other areas in your life. While burnout is often associated with demanding professions, many people may not realize just how deeply it can impact physicians.
A survey by the American Medical Association (AMA) found that nearly 40 percent of physicians report experiencing high moral distress, which increases their risk of burnout and workforce instability. Researchers also found that physicians have four times higher odds of experiencing moral distress and burnout than the general working U.S. population. In many cases, this emotional strain is contributing to physicians leaving the profession altogether.
Often, healthcare workers experience extreme burnout in high-stress, demanding roles. Whether it’s a physician caring for multiple patients in a hospital setting, a therapist managing a high caseload while documenting notes, or even an administrative assistant organizing patient charts, there are many moving parts within healthcare. While many professionals aim to provide diligent care and support to patients, they often face overwhelming demands that can lead to burnout.
In some settings, inadequate staffing can also force professionals to take on multiple responsibilities or manage heavier caseloads due to high turnover rates or staff shortages. In turn, this burnout can lead healthcare workers to leave the industry, switch roles, or even “quietly quit” in their current positions, ultimately affecting the quality of care patients receive.
This experience is something Kendra K. Ham, MD, can speak to. She said that emotional exhaustion in clinical settings can impact physicians in several ways, including difficulty concentrating, decision fatigue, reduced empathy, and even dreading work before a shift begins.
“High patient volumes, inadequate time to close charts, and a perceived lack of control over healthcare policies and regulations can further increase stress levels,” Dr. Ham said.
And with the constant pressure to overproduce, Yonette Eversley, LHMC, NCC, said this ongoing moral distress can slowly affect physicians emotionally. “Many providers enter this work because they care about people, so if there is a repeated feeling that they are unable to provide the care, they believe patients can create a level of guilt, frustration, emotional exhaustion, and numbness,” she says.
Eversley also noted that many physicians continue functioning while silently struggling emotionally. “They are still showing up, providing care, and getting through the day. Internally, they may be feeling disconnected, anxious, or emotionally drained.”
Michelle Harris, DBH, LCSW, said that many healthcare workers are navigating systems that place pressure on providers while limiting their autonomy. “It is not the fact that physicians are not resilient,” she explained. “Many times it is the limited resources available; yet [they are] often expected to manage responsibilities and provide care with systems that are not often organized and have administrative barriers with limited autonomy.”
Because of this burnout, Black physicians are speaking up about their emotional state and walking away when the role doesn’t serve them. While many healthcare workers are expected to continue pushing through emotional exhaustion, experts say the emotional effects of moral distress can extend beyond the workplace.
Eversley told BlackDoctor Pro that one of the biggest reasons many providers struggle to seek support is that they are often expected to be the “helpers,” not the ones asking for help. “There is often an unspoken pressure in healthcare to keep pushing through no matter how exhausted you are emotionally or mentally,” she said.
She also noted that some providers fear being judged for seeking support, while others normalize burnout because it has become embedded in healthcare culture. “Burnout is often normalized in many healthcare settings, which can mask emotional suffering to feel like ‘just part of the job,’ even when it is not and should not be,” Eversley explained.
Experts said that addressing physician burnout requires more than self-care or telling providers to simply work less. Instead, healthcare systems may need to examine the workplace structures that contribute to emotional strain.
“One way is to begin to do a root cause analysis of what is truly causing burnout within your organization, and each organization is different,” Dr. Harris said. “It would be helpful to not just place it on the individual factors but to look at the systems within the organization that may be contributing to higher stress levels.”
Dr. Harris believes that organizations should evaluate workflow processes, caseloads, staffing issues, and workplace culture to identify areas creating unnecessary pressure on physicians. She also noted that protecting providers ultimately improves the organization as a whole.
In the end, the need for Black physicians and healthcare workers is important, and these small changes will make a huge difference in outcomes. Eventually, when healthcare workers are properly supported, it not only benefits them but also improves the quality of care and support patients receive.
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