Burnout is pervasive in the medical community and our state’s doctors are hurting as revealed at CME sessions during the North Carolina Medical Society’s (NCMS) Annual Meeting and House of Delegates in October 2015. The programs and resulting discussions among attendees addressed physicians’ career satisfaction and proved to be the beginning of a strong dialogue about burnout within the NCMS and with other organizations, employer groups and physicians to find ways the NCMS can help its members.
In early January, the NCMS Foundation announced the formation of the Mitchel D. Hardison, MD fund, created to support physician wellness activities. Named for the late Dr. Hardison, a Raleigh internist and longtime NCMS member, the fund will support initiatives addressing physician stress and burnout through the Kanof Institute for Physician Leadership (KIPL). To contribute to the fund, contact Pam Highsmith, NCMS Director of Development or call her at 919-833-3836 x122.
Activities are taking place across the state to address these growing concerns. The Western Carolina Medical Society (WCMS) has incorporated member wellness into their strategic plan and is providing ongoing education and resources in its newsletter. The WCMS is planning a Wellness Retreat in April 2016. For more information on their physician wellness efforts, visit www.mywcms.org.
In addition, the “North Carolina Consortium for Physician Resilience and Retention” is the new name for an informal group of interested stakeholders discussing ways to prevent and address burnout among physicians. Participating are the NCMS, NC Physicians Health Program, the NC Medical Board and representatives from various practices and health systems. With no formal structure or affiliation at this point, the group is simply a mechanism to keep the conversation going about burnout and to share information on programs currently underway. To be added to this group’s informal list serve, contact Shawn Scott, NCMS Deputy EVP for Operations and Administration or call her at 919-833-3836 x117.