Depression, suicide, alcoholism, drug abuse, and unhappy marriages affect an estimated 7–10% of physicians. Among these, substance abuse is especially prevalent in emergency medicine (EM) residents compared to other specialties. Despite these sobering statistics, it remains a challenge to prioritize and legitimize wellness in residency education.
Today, medicine urgently needs a cultural shift—one that emphasizes physician self-care, resilience, and a proactive, preventive approach to well-being. Wellness and well-being have become areas of growing interest among healthcare professionals. Physician burnout, in particular, has received significant attention and is defined as a combination of three elements: Emotional exhaustion caused by increasing work pressures Depersonalization, or emotional detachment from patients and professional duties Reduced sense of personal accomplishment,…
