Dr. Tomi Mitchell

Burnout, overwhelm and exhaustion, are just a few of the feelings high functioning individuals might be experiencing at any given time. If we only focus on employment-based burnout, we will be missing the other pieces of the puzzle. Using the wellness wheel as my foundation for teaching, we will examine how social, emotional, spiritual, intellectual, physical, environmental, financial, and occupational wellness are areas we need to review when solving problems. I will also share my signature framework for dealing with struggles without burning out.

This presentation is for individuals and businesses who want to increase their productivity without burning out. Resiliency can be defined as the ability to bounce back from difficult times or obstacles in a healthy way. And only one aspect of our life is able to make us well conditioned, well prepared, and well trained for burnout: wellness.

This topic will discuss the profound effects of wellness and a good work–life balance on preventing and dealing with burnout.

Physicians and doctors faced with stressful work without adequate recognition, reward and support are at risk of exhaustion (physical and emotional) and a developing detachment from their work. This accumulates and is frequently accompanied by decreased engagement, worsening concentration, increased frustration and emotional outbursts. Motivation wanes and the clinician no longer functions at their best. One of the risk factors is being a black female doctor.

We will be discussing important issues like bias, race, and discrimination in healthcare, how leadership positions put BIPOC in a unique but sometimes uncomfortable position.

According to the “Diversity in Medicine: Facts and Figures 2019” from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), it showed that two-thirds of physicians are male. The same report also includes a breakdown of active physicians by race and ethnicity, which shows that 56% of practicing physicians are white and only 5% are black.

We will be also discussing the importance of diversity in medicine. The lack of diversity in the physician workforce impact black patients’ health and well-being. Black patients may feel more easy discussing health with black doctors, which can help increase their compliance and adherence to medical advice. A recent study found that even when white and black doctors used the same communication style and words, black patients were more receptive to a medical advice by the black physician (Saha, 2020).

Canada sits on top of a governmental framework that is historically genocidal and unfair in the treatment of especially Indigenous people. This fact makes it impossible to ignore the the unfair treatment of BIPOC communities.

The fight against racism is a real one and so you can only imagine how long it will take to fully eradicate it out of regular society. More people are needed to speak up against racism and discrimination, to produce legible work that promotes mutual respect amongst racial groups.

What is truth? What is real reconciliation? We will go over Canada’s history, even the uncomfortable parts of it, that are often ignored. Then, we will compare the Canadian process to other countries in which people have to deal with.

Physicians suffer from certain mental health conditions at rates that are as high as or higher than those of the general population. The incidence of depression in medical students and residents is in the range of 15 to 30 percent, which is higher than the general population. (Zoccolillo 1986; Givens 2002; Shanafelt 2002; Fahrenkopf 2008)

When untreated, mental health conditions, such as depression and bipolar disorder, can adversely affect physicians’ resilience to stressful work environments and potentially in their ability to perform effectively.

With this, I will discuss the global impact of mental health. I will also dare to propose that mental health challenges are really a symptom of underlying societal and personal challenges.

This presentation will give you a fresh approach to mental health, and hopefully, give you the framework and tools to take your mental health and wellness into your own hands.

This message is to really call upon health care providers to be really mindful of their own health. It is so much easier to advise our patients if we are ourself acknowledge our humanity but still recognize that our health is important. So, if physicians and healthcare providers, and the systems in which they work, did a better job and recognizing the importance of a balanced healthy life, then perhaps physicians wouldn’t have the highest rates of suicide amongst professionals.

Physicians have an increased risk of death due to their profession. It is estimated that 400 medical students and physicians commit suicide annually in the U.S. The suicide rate is up to 3.8 times higher for male physicians and 4.5 times higher for female physicians compared to the general population (Farmer, 2018).

Physician give so much of themselves to others that they don’t get a chance to pay some much-needed attention to themselves. Not taking care of yourself affects your ability to care for your patients, increasing your patient’s and coworkers’ dissatisfaction.

Apart from affecting yourself, your patients, and your coworkers, burnout has a more significant effect on your place of employment and the healthcare system under which you operate.

Let’s talk about work, exhaustion, and the demands of motherhood. Include some stats on this issue and why it is important.

One national survey found that 68% of working mothers in the U.S. have sought mental health treatment during the pandemic, compared with 47% of women without children. Financial instability and a lack of support for child care are some of the factors exacerbating stress and burnout among working moms.

As a working mom, your goal is always to meld together both sides of your life, in order to create a balance that gives enough energy to your kids, and also enough energy to your career. It’s a constant struggle feeling pulled in too many directions, being consumed by mom guilt, and feeling like there’s never enough time. All while wanting to “have it all” and “do it all” as a working mom.

The goal of this is to help you coordinate a work-life balance to best fit your own personal definition of that ideal. The goal is to help you, a working mom, navigate your own personal dreams for the role you have taken on by having children, and also continuing forward on your career path.

Physicians or any person who has a career in caregiving will know that it’s not always smooth sailing. You need to overcome many physical and mental hurdles to provide your patients with the best care possible. Still, it can quickly become overwhelming to the person providing the caregiving. At the same time, as a healthcare professional, you risk suffering from burnout and compassion fatigue at some point in your career.

So many health-care professionals around the world experience stress, anxiety, lack of resilience, and burnout every year. It is at this point where self-intervention is essential to recover from its physical and psychological symptoms. There are ways you can minimize your risk by applying the different action steps.

You will learn what burnout is and how it can negatively impact you and your loved ones’ lives. You will also learn how to identify it and get the equipment you need to manage the symptoms before they start to take over your life. You should know that prevention is better than cure.