According to the 2023 Physician Burnout and Depression report by Medscape, 58 percent of the 9,100 physicians surveyed across all specialties reported happiness outside of work last year. Drill down to pathologists and 62 percent of those surveyed reported feeling happy in 2023. It may be easy to assume that the workforce shortage and administrative burdens were the top contributors to physician burnout and depression, however, the Medscape report found that too many hours at work topped the list of reasons at 58 percent.
“The truth is, as pathologists we must complete a significant amount of bureaucratic tasks from transcription systems and administrative duties,” said Marisa Saint Martin, MD, FCAP, “not to mention the inherent pressure of making correct diagnoses. Those things added with the professional isolation of being removed from other specialties can make fighting burnout or depression tough.”
“Pathologists’ wellness was top of mind prior to the pandemic and will continue to be front of mind for those in practice, leadership positions, and those just beginning their career, that’s why it’s important for the CAP and members to highlight and share resources to assist in the health of our colleagues and the specialty.
Michael Cohen, MD, FCAP
Instituted in April 2021 by the Council on Membership and Professional Development, the Wellness Project Team was charged to define member needs related to wellness and burnout. There are 12 Wellness Project Team members, co-chaired by Michael Cohen, MD, FCAP, and Marisa Saint-Martin, MD, FCAP. The primary objective of the project team was to understand member needs related to wellness and the impact of burn out on pathologists. With this knowledge, the project team worked to surface wellness resources across the CAP and create ongoing educational activities available to members to ensure they could access the tools, training, and education necessary to avoid burn out and depression.
“As the leading organization for pathologists, the CAP has a treasure trove of materials and subject matter experts who are dedicated to pathologist wellness,” said Cohen. “Through our vast number of presentations and articles about wellness, we want our members to know that the CAP understands their needs and is here to support them.”