Careers in Anesthesia are Changing, with Opportunities Outside Hospitals
Careers in anesthesia treating non-hospital patients is at the cutting edge of technique and skill while offering greater work-life balance.
Alarms have long been sounding about the looming physician burnout crisis facing healthcare and the nation at-large. The pandemic only intensified feelings of depression, depersonalization, lack of professional satisfaction, and emotional exhaustion. The American Medical Association recent reported on findings of a Mayo Clinic study that found during the Omicron wave of the pandemic, a 63% of physicians surveyed felt one or more of those symptoms of burnout, an all-time high.
We recently spoke Dr. Meghan Valach, Chief Medical Officer of Mobile Anesthesiologists, about the burnout crisis, the underlying causes, and how stepping out of the hospital might help some physicians regain control.
I think in healthcare, we’re seeing right now what people are referring to as “The Great Resign,” large numbers of healthcare providers walking away from taking care of patients. Forbes says that they anticipate 75% of healthcare workers are going to leave the healthcare field by 2025. That’s a mere three years from now, which would leave us in dire straits for healthcare in this country.
The pandemic has really brought a darker issue to the forefront, which is the mental health of physicians. We’re really seeing physician suicide in huge numbers. Especially, what we considering the frontline physicians, so emergency room doctors, anesthesiologists, intensivists.
It comes up a lot in conversations, but a lot of times, I think the frustration from physicians comes when encountering burnout, hospitals’ often make suggestions like, “Well, let’s have some meetings to help you figure out some coping mechanisms,” and things like that, and so actually, basically, putting it back on the physicians to fix themselves. “The problem is you, and you should fix yourself somehow. Do some more de-stressing activities,” instead of really doing what we do really well in healthcare.
When there’s a problem with patient care issues on a wide level, we look for the systems problem. We do a root cause analysis and figure out to fix it, but when it comes to problems with our healthcare providers, instead, they’re kind of saying, “Well, figure out how to fix yourself.”
A lot of information’s coming out right now that part of the problem is that medical school teaches doctors, “Don’t be a whiner. Separate yourself from your feelings. Being a doctor and taking care of patients is such a privilege that you shouldn’t complain about whatever it is that that means.”
We want to have tools to help people combat things themselves, but we need to look at the system’s problem too. What sticks out to me a lot in the work about burnout is that physicians feel burned out when they feel like the things that are causing them the stress or making their life difficult are outside of their control. These are things like your work hours, your call responsibilities, your work colleagues. Also, when you feel like your medical training and your clinical care for a patient isn’t being respected anymore.
To the point that I’ve talked about, when burnout seems to get the most out of control is when you don’t have control over the things that are the stressors, so when procedures get moved outside of the hospital into the surgical suite, you regain a lot of control over the schedule. Obviously, as the anesthesiologist, we’re always tied still to doing what the surgeon wants, but it’s still better. The surgeon’s not trying to squeeze in a case at 3:00 in the morning so that they can get to their clinic on time. They’re going to do it in their office at the time that works for them. That’s much better for us, so we’re not on call.
Also, [there is] definitely the benefit of being able to pass on savings to the patients, where they’re not paying high hospital fees, but we’re still recouping, actually, more of the professional fee than you would in a hospital. You’re not paying hospital overhead to get these procedures done, so even though it costs less for patients, more of the overall income from it is staying in the hands of doctors, so that makes you feel like you’re really in control of your decision of how much you’re going to work, how you’re going to do things.
You don’t have to then follow hospital protocols about the way certain cases will be scheduled or about when patients can get in. You can really do what you feel best for the patient, and based on the relationship that the proceduralist has with the patient, they can really arrange getting their procedure done in a more timely fashion, and at a location that’s easier for them.
It really gives physicians, again, the opportunity to feel that connection with their patient and have the reward of taking care of them. Instead of feeling like a cog in the hospital wheel, who’s just following the protocol, getting this done, you’re back to taking care of patients, which I think is something that physicians, ultimately, that’s the cure for burnout is finding that joy in the work that you do and remembering why what you’re doing has a positive impact on somebody else’s life.
Careers in anesthesia treating non-hospital patients is at the cutting edge of technique and skill while offering greater work-life balance.
With a nursing burnout crisis not looming, but here, what role can office-based procedures play in reducing stress?
Mobile Anesthesiologists' Dr. Heike Knorpp shares her insights on trust in the physician-patient relationship and how office-based procedures can impact that.
Alarms have long been sounding about the looming physician burnout crisis facing healthcare and the nation at-large. The pandemic only intensified feelings of depression, depersonalization, lack of professional satisfaction, and emotional exhaustion. The American Medical Association recent reported on findings of a Mayo Clinic study that found during the Omicron wave of the pandemic, a...
Expanding - not disrupting - sites of service broadens access while bringing down overall costs.
Dr. BobbieJean Sweitzer, past president of the Society for Ambulatory Anesthesiology (SAMBA), shares her insights on where the field is going
Dr. David Mayer shares insights into how critical protocols and safeguards can ensure office-based procedures and patient safety align.
Moving procedures into the office setting checks all the boxes when it comes to the quadruple aim.
Cost transparency benefits patients, providers, and payers, so why is the industry so averse to it? Tina Mentz share her thoughts on the importance of sunlight in healthcare spending.
Health systems need to differentiate from new players offering easier access and lower costs. Office-based procedures could be the key.
Office-based procedures have a proven track record of safety and myriad benefits for urologists, patients, and payers alike.
Office-based procedures are growing in popularity as a way for independent practices to grow. So what are the benefits and key considerations physicians must make to safely bring procedures into their own space?
Armed with a commonsense approach to lowering healthcare costs, anesthesiologist Dr. Marlon Michel is safely, conveniently, and comfortable helping dentists shift their sites-of-service.
More-and-more, medical procedures are being performed safely, conveniently, and affordably in physician's offices and clinics.
Today's post is part III of our ongoing series about moving procedures out of the hospital and into ambulatory surgery center and office-based environments. Today, we're discussing changing patient demographics and market signals.
Today's post is part II of our ongoing series about moving procedures out of the hospital and into ambulatory surgery center and office-based environments. We're discussing the contributing factors to the site of service shift, and its benefits to patients and doctors alike. Last week, we covered advances in surgical procedures and anesthesia. This time, we're addressing the rise of office healthcare technology.
Reason #1: ADVANCES IN ANESTHESIA AND SURGICAL PROCEDURES The modernization of anesthesia, particularly outsourced anesthesia, has played a clear role in the site of service transition to office-based procedures. The healthcare industry is undergoing a dramatic transformation. The past decade has seen a steady increase in surgical procedures moving away from hospital environments into surgery...