TY - JOUR
T1 - Overcoming Burnout and Promoting Wellness in Radiation Oncology
T2 - A Report From the ACR Commission on Radiation Oncology
AU - Beltràn Ponce, Sara
AU - Small, Christina J.
AU - Amini, Arya
AU - Johnstone, Candice
AU - Parikh, Jay R.
AU - Rosenthal, Seth A.
AU - Salerno, Kilian E.
AU - Schechter, Naomi R.
AU - Small, William
N1 - Funding Information:
Dr. Rosenthal is a partner; all other authors are non-partner/non-partnership track/employees. This work was supported in part by the National Institutes of Health / National Cancer Institute Cancer Center Support Grant (awardnumber P30 CA016672). Dr William Small discloses honoraria for invited talks from Carl Zeiss; travel expenses for invited talks from Carl Zeiss; travel support for meetings from the American College of Radiology; participation on the Novocure Data Safety Monitoring Board reGlioblastoma; Chair of the American College of Radiology Radiation Oncology Commission; Executive Committee of the American Joint Committee on Cancer. Dr Beltran Ponce discloses the Luther Brady grant from the American College of Radiation Oncology; honorarium for speaking from the Research Oncology Insitute; Vice Chair for the Society for Women in Radiation Oncology. Dr Christina Small discloses role Events and Outreach Chair of the Society for Women in Radiation Oncology. Dr Johnstone discloses roles as trustee for the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists and president-elect of the American Association for Women in Radiation Oncology. Dr Rosenthal discloses role as Member, Board of Directors, Radiation Therapy Oncology Group Foundation. Dr Salerno discloses participation on a Data Safety Monitoring Board for the National Institutes of Health; leadership roles with the American College of Radiology: Radiation Oncology In-Training Exam committee chair; American Society of Radiation Oncology: Guidelines Subcommittee vice chair, annual meeting scientific committee vice chair for sarcoma/cutaneous malignancies; Associate Editor for the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics and the Journal of Surgical Oncology. Dr Schechter discloses roles as Chair, Patient Safety Scientific Committee, American Society for Radiation Oncology; Chair, Radiation Oncology Practice Parameters Committee, American College of Radiology;Stock options Rakuten-Medical, Inc (Biotech, Drug-Device, not radiotherapy); Employment: Rakuten-Medical, Inc (as above), South Florida Proton Therapy Institute. The other authors state that they have no conflict of interest related to the material discussed in this article. Dr. Rosenthal is a partner; and all other authors are non-partner/non-partnership track/employees.
Funding Information:
Dr. Rosenthal is a partner; all other authors are non-partner/non-partnership track/employees. This work was supported in part by the National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute Cancer Center Support Grant (awardnumber P30 CA016672). Dr William Small discloses honoraria for invited talks from Carl Zeiss; travel expenses for invited talks from Carl Zeiss; travel support for meetings from the American College of Radiology; participation on the Novocure Data Safety Monitoring Board reGlioblastoma; Chair of the American College of Radiology Radiation Oncology Commission; Executive Committee of the American Joint Committee on Cancer. Dr Beltran Ponce discloses the Luther Brady grant from the American College of Radiation Oncology; honorarium for speaking from the Research Oncology Insitute; Vice Chair for the Society for Women in Radiation Oncology. Dr Christina Small discloses role as Events and Outreach Chair of the Society for Women in Radiation Oncology. Dr Johnstone discloses roles as trustee for the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists and president-elect of the American Association for Women in Radiation Oncology. Dr Rosenthal discloses role as Member, Board of Directors, Radiation Therapy Oncology Group Foundation. Dr Salerno discloses participation on a Data Safety Monitoring Board for the National Institutes of Health; leadership roles with the American College of Radiology: Radiation Oncology In-Training Exam committee chair; American Society of Radiation Oncology: Guidelines Subcommittee vice chair, annual meeting scientific committee vice chair for sarcoma/cutaneous malignancies; Associate Editor for the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics and the Journal of Surgical Oncology. Dr Schechter discloses roles as Chair, Patient Safety Scientific Committee, American Society for Radiation Oncology; Chair, Radiation Oncology Practice Parameters Committee, American College of Radiology; Stock options Rakuten-Medical, Inc (Biotech, Drug-Device, not radiotherapy); Employment: Rakuten-Medical, Inc (as above), South Florida Proton Therapy Institute. The other authors state that they have no conflict of interest related to the material discussed in this article. Dr. Rosenthal is a partner; and all other authors are non-partner/non-partnership track/employees.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 American College of Radiology
PY - 2023/5
Y1 - 2023/5
N2 - Burnout, defined by the presence of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and decreased sense of personal accomplishment, impacts a significant portion of radiation oncologists. This has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, is notably worse for women, and has been identified as an international concern. Key contributors to burnout within radiation oncology include inadequate clinical and administrative support, imbalanced personal and professional lives including time with family and for self-care, decreased job satisfaction secondary to increased electronic medical record and decreased patient time, unsupportive organizational culture, lack of transparency from leadership and inclusion in administrative decisions, emotionally intensive patient interactions, challenges within the radiation oncology workforce, financial security related to productivity-based compensation and increasing medical training-related debt, limited education on wellness, and fear of seeking mental health services due to stigma and potential negative impacts on the trajectory of one's career. Limited data exist to quantify the impacts of these factors on the overall levels of burnout within radiation oncology specifically, and additional efforts are needed to understand and address root causes of burnout within the field. Strategies should focus on improving the systems in which physicians work and providing the necessary skills and resources to thrive in high-stress, high-stakes work environments.
AB - Burnout, defined by the presence of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and decreased sense of personal accomplishment, impacts a significant portion of radiation oncologists. This has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, is notably worse for women, and has been identified as an international concern. Key contributors to burnout within radiation oncology include inadequate clinical and administrative support, imbalanced personal and professional lives including time with family and for self-care, decreased job satisfaction secondary to increased electronic medical record and decreased patient time, unsupportive organizational culture, lack of transparency from leadership and inclusion in administrative decisions, emotionally intensive patient interactions, challenges within the radiation oncology workforce, financial security related to productivity-based compensation and increasing medical training-related debt, limited education on wellness, and fear of seeking mental health services due to stigma and potential negative impacts on the trajectory of one's career. Limited data exist to quantify the impacts of these factors on the overall levels of burnout within radiation oncology specifically, and additional efforts are needed to understand and address root causes of burnout within the field. Strategies should focus on improving the systems in which physicians work and providing the necessary skills and resources to thrive in high-stress, high-stakes work environments.
KW - Burnout
KW - radiation oncology
KW - stress
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85151668379&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85151668379&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jacr.2023.03.003
DO - 10.1016/j.jacr.2023.03.003
M3 - Article
C2 - 36925094
AN - SCOPUS:85151668379
SN - 1546-1440
VL - 20
SP - 487
EP - 493
JO - Journal of the American College of Radiology
JF - Journal of the American College of Radiology
IS - 5
ER -