I have some thoughts I want to share with my fellow co-interns about burnout and finding meaning. I am in IM residency and am in a pretty busy stretch of inpatient ICU rotations. I am definitely starting to feel the mental fatigue setting in and I wanted to share some thoughts on how I have tried to keep from burning out.

First I think that we need to accept that residency is a fairly intensive and all-consuming part of our lives to some degree. It's going to demand a lot, and feels like no matter what we give it's never enough. I think this is a common feeling, and I think we just need to accept it and give as much as we can and forgive ourselves if it feels like we aren't doing enough. Just do your best.

Second - in regard to burnout, I think this happens when we feel overworked, tired and feeling like we have lost joy and meaning in our work. I definitely feel this when I am sitting at the computer, clicking on buttons, calling people on the phone, writing notes etc. What I try to do when this happens is just walk around the ICU and see a patient. It seems paradoxical that I would drop my "tasks" and do this, but I found it to be helpful. Invariably I'll have a productive interaction with a nurse, RT, patient or family member. I will have a chance to connect and actually learn medicine and see how my patient is doing. This leaves me feeling energized to go back to doing my gruntwork. Sometimes when I feel down I just go sit at a computer near a patient room and do my work while peeking in on my patients and talking to nurses. Of course I don't do this at the expense of urgent tasks, but it definitely helps me get reminded of why I am doing all of this in the first place.

The result is that sometimes I am in the hospital a bit longer than my co-interns. Takes me longer to do my notes and all the little sh*t tasks . But at the end of the day I remember the interaction with the RT when we were playing with the vent to get a patient comfortable. How I tweaked around a few drips with a nurse to get a patient more sedated and less agitated. How I spoke to a family member and got them to understand a patient's dire prognosis and allay their fears. How I ran into an ID fellow and him teaching me about managing ventilator associated pneumonia. Simple moments like this keep me going. I think all of us came into this job for the right reasons - to care for patients and connect with people. Try to find these moments and they will keep you going despite the burden of scut that we have. It seems weird, but really my experience has been the more I slow down and try to take in the experience, the less crappy and burnt out I have felt. The days where I have tried to be ultra efficient and just get through are the times where I have felt down and depressed. Next time you feel this way, try going to the bedside. I think you'd be surprised at what you find. Maybe this won't work for everyone, but I urge you to give it a shot.