A wellness program in Oklahoma is supporting physicians with up to eight free and confidential counseling sessions.
In 2023, 48.2% of physicians surveyed by the American Medical Association reported experiencing at least one symptom of burnout, which is down from 53% in 2022. But Oklahoma State Medical Association (OSMA) President Dr. Edgar Boyd said although COVID-19 is less of a threat, physicians are still dealing with stressors like insurance companies and prior authorization — where health insurers decide if a service is medically necessary and if they will cover it.
“Physicians, we just want to take care of our patients. We don't want to have a very busy clinic and then spend 45 minutes on the telephone trying to get a routine prescription approved just because that is our policy,” Boyd said.
Enter the Physician Wellness Program. It started through OSMA in 2020 and offers one-hour counseling sessions to all M.D. and D.O. physicians in Oklahoma.
“We just want to take care of our doctors so they can continue to function. We lose more and more doctors every year to retirement. Some of that is just natural attrition, but other is just burnout — people not wanting to just put up with all of the stressors anymore,” Boyd said. “Physicians, in general, don't do very good with coping with stress.”
Boyd said health care professionals’ mental health is often overlooked and stigmatized. He recalled when Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest during a game.
“Everybody was talking about how traumatized they were from watching that. And, people don’t realize that emergency room physicians, ICU doctors, they may go through that four or five times a day. And even though they're traumatized, they go into the next room and just keep on working,” Boyd said. “That's extremely stressful.”
Boyd said something as simple as talking with someone can help combat burnout.
“Sometimes that's all it takes,” Boyd said.
Physicians can connect with licensed professionals by heading to OSMA's website.
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