Radiologic education2013 Joseph E. and Nancy O. whitley award recipientThe Emotional Wellness of Radiology Trainees: Prevalence and Predictors of Burnout
Section snippets
Methods
This investigation was exempted from full review by the University of Washington institutional review board. In January 2012, an electronic survey was distributed to all resident and fellow junior members of the Association of University Radiologists with registered e-mail addresses (1389 members). The survey questions are reproduced in the Appendix. A 4-week reminder e-mail was sent and responses gathered for a total of 8 weeks.
The survey began with objective topics including demographics
Survey Sample Demographics
A total of 266 complete responses were received, for a response rate of 19%; 17 additional responses were excluded for incompleteness. Respondents were predominantly male (73%); ages ranged from 25 to 46 years (mean: 31 years). There were 163 married respondents (61%) and 103 respondents (39%) who identified as either single or no longer married. Sixty-seven percent (178 of 266) of respondents reported having no children; 16% (42 of 266) had one child; 12% (31 of 266) had two children; and 6%
Discussion
Emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a low sense of personal achievement are increasingly recognized as key elements of burnout in medical professionals 6, 16. To date, there have been no published data regarding burnout among radiologists-in-training.
The radiology trainees responding to this survey reported slightly greater emotional exhaustion and substantially greater depersonalization when compared to the internal medicine residents described by West et al (19). Although there are
Conclusions
Burnout is a complex phenomenon that is intimately related with the wellness of resident physicians and may significantly influence their ability to provide safe and compassionate care. We provide some baseline data on the prevalence of burnout symptomology among radiology residents with the hope of sparking further interest in this topic among researchers in our field.
Although radiology trainees do not routinely deliver direct patient care, they clearly are not immune to work-related stress
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