The North Carolina Medical Society (NCMS) and the AMA are working to address the problem of physician ‘burnout’ or ‘caregiver fatigue,’ which is estimated to affect 40 percent of US physicians – more than 10 percent more than the general population.
The NCMS has two CME sessions planned at its upcoming Annual Meeting on October 23-24 at the Grandover Resort in Greensboro to help physicians learn to be more resilient and prevent and/or combat burnout. Get the details on the programs and register for the Annual Meeting today.
The AMA’s on-line program, AMA STEPS Forward, which launched last June, is offering two new online modules to help physicians learn their risk factors for burnout and adopt real-life strategies to reignite professional fulfillment and resilience.

  • The first module,Improving Physician Resiliency, offers an internal approach to help physicians managed personal and professional stress. Physicians who are resilient are better equipped to manage the stress of relentless change in medical practice and less likely to experience burnout. The module provides simple, evidence-based solutions to help physicians foster resilience against stress and protect against burnout.
  • The second module,Preventing Physician Burnout, offers an external approach to help physicians make practice-level changes to improve workflow and reduce barriers to patient care. Increasing physician involvement in efforts to improve their practice environment results in better patient satisfaction, quality outcomes, and overall practice morale and productivity. The module provides assessment tools and targeted intervention strategies that reduce sources of stress and support professional well-being.

The AMA in collaboration with the Medical Group Management Association has issued a practice innovation challenge offering an opportunity for out-of-the-box thinkers to propose solutions that will also help physicians adapt to the changing health care environment. The best solutions will be eligible for one of several $10,000 prizes in addition to having their idea developed into future STEPS Forward modules. Additional details, submission requirements and evaluation criteria are available here.