Doctors need to help other doctors be happy

While the percentage of doctors feeling burned out has somewhat decreased, many are experiencing workplace and professional dissatisfaction.

They feel dissed. They are getting fired. After 15 years or more of training, they are feeling undervalued and, for the first time, are questioning their career decisions. They are at the bottom of the happiness curve.

They are suffering from the career crossroad crises.

American workers are feeling more and more pessimistic about their career prospects, according to LinkedIn’s latest Workforce Confidence survey. Workers’ confidence in their ability to progress in their careers over the next year has fallen by 5 points since the start of the year (from +29 to +24, on a scale from -100 to +100). That’s the lowest level since the survey began in 2020. The drop is particularly pronounced for men, the survey shows, even though they have historically reported higher confidence levels than women.

The question is not just how we restore the joy of medicine, since some doctors are dropping out of medicine and looking for viable, economically sustainable exit ramps.

If you find yourself in this situation, here is an action plan:

1. Understand that you are not alone

2. Take a deep breath and follow the 6Rs of career transitioning

3. Take care of yourself

4. Start rebuilding your personal brand and business model canvas

5. Don't rely on the system or the corporate medical-industrial complex or medical schools or residency training programs to solve your problems

6. Don't rely on regional, local or national medical societies to solve your problems

7. Network, network, network with other doctors and those in other interface industries who were in your situation who have found happiness and are eager to pass it forward

8. Take advantage of free resources like social media, Slack channels and other sites where doctors are sharing their stories and supporting others. Misery loves company.

9. Start a personal advisory board and meeting with them on a regular basis

10. Find mentors, coaches, or executive transitioning groups in your area to help

11. Here is your guide to non-clinical career decision making

12. Reskill yourself and highlight your transferable skills

Doctors need to help other doctors dig their way out the mess we've created, if for no other reason than you get what you give and you might just find yourself tomorrow on the other end of the stick, particularly if you are one of the 90,000 doctors who work for Optum.

How to execute Plan B after your white coat gets the pink slip is not a mandatory course in medical school and not on your specialty board exams.

It's time to rediscover the Lost Tribe of Medicine and play nice with each other.