Prevention of physician burnout advocating for well-being in residents and faculty

Burnout is a significant occupational hazard for physicians, especially residents, and has been shown to impact psychiatry residency programs. Focusing on physician well-being and professional fulfillment is a positive psychology approach that will mobilize resources and direct energy towards a positive outcome, ideally leading to lower rates of burnout. However, despite the best efforts of residency program leadership and the extraordinary resilience of physicians, burnout can impact even the most resilient trainees, faculty, and practicing physicians, and residency programs must be prepared to respond. This chapter considers the circumstances when burnout represents a risk to the health of residents and offers an opportunity to protect trainees proactively. Common scenarios are described to illustrate how burnout and other distress may present in psychiatry residents and how program directors could respond to advocate for their residents. This chapter offers immediate interventions as well as suggestions for integrating lessons learned to protect resident health and prevent future burnout.