Study: Half of US Doctors Struggle with Burnout

No matter how "burned out" you may feel about your profession, you may be interested to know there is one job that causes more "burn out" than any other.  USA Today reports a national survey shows more medical doctors suffer job burnout than people in any other profession.

The famous Mayo Clinic surveyed nearly 7,300 doctors, and more than four in 10 said they were emotionally exhausted, or felt a high degree of cynicism, or "de-personalization," toward their patients.

38 percent of doctors surveyed are losing enthusiasm for their job.  30 percent had scores that show they tend to treat their patients more like objects than like people.

The study leader says this is a serious situation for doctors and their patients. Earlier studies have shown that doctors struggling with burnout are more prone to medical mistakes and suicidal thinking than those who're not burned out.

It's also worth noting that burnout was most common in ER doctors and those in Family Practice -- those on the "front lines" of health care.  The survey's findings are reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Something to think about the next time you go to your doctor and wonder why he or she looks so tired.