How to avoid burnout

100:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,860Welcome to the Clinician Researcher podcast, where academic clinicians learn the skills200:00:05,860 --> 00:00:11,260to build their own research program, whether or not they have a mentor.300:00:11,260 --> 00:00:17,340As clinicians, we spend a decade or more as trainees learning to take care of patients.400:00:17,340 --> 00:00:22,380When we finally start our careers, we want to build research programs, but then we find500:00:22,380 --> 00:00:27,780that our years of clinical training did not adequately prepare us to lead our research600:00:27,780 --> 00:00:29,200program.700:00:29,200 --> 00:00:35,480Through no fault of our own, we struggle to find mentors, and when we can't, we quit.800:00:35,480 --> 00:00:40,580However, clinicians hold the keys to the greatest research breakthroughs.900:00:40,580 --> 00:00:46,200For this reason, the Clinician Researcher podcast exists to give academic clinicians1000:00:46,200 --> 00:00:51,800the tools to build their own research program, whether or not they have a mentor.1100:00:51,800 --> 00:01:01,060Now introducing your host, Toyosi Onwuemene.1200:01:01,060 --> 00:01:05,400Welcome to the Clinician Researcher podcast.1300:01:05,400 --> 00:01:08,880I'm your host Toyosi Onwuemene, and it is such a pleasure to be talking with you today.1400:01:08,880 --> 00:01:14,400I'm especially excited to talk about today's episode because it's about strategies to avoid1500:01:14,400 --> 00:01:16,320burnout.1600:01:16,320 --> 00:01:21,760And I think this is sorely needed because there's so much burnout in medicine.1700:01:21,760 --> 00:01:27,840So over 60% of docs in 2021 reported that they were burned out.1800:01:27,840 --> 00:01:34,400And yes, to some extent, there was a greater increase in burnout before the COVID or during1900:01:34,400 --> 00:01:36,120the COVID pandemic.2000:01:36,120 --> 00:01:41,560But the reality is that burnout has always been present with us.2100:01:41,560 --> 00:01:48,920And it's a function of the field in which we practice and the high intensity and the2200:01:48,920 --> 00:01:54,640high stakes and the fact that there is this feeling we get that we're responsible for2300:01:54,640 --> 00:01:55,640everything.2400:01:55,640 --> 00:01:58,920We're responsible for keeping the patient alive.2500:01:58,920 --> 00:02:02,760We're responsible if the patient has a bad outcome.2600:02:02,760 --> 00:02:06,880There's a lot that drives us towards burnout in medicine.2700:02:06,880 --> 00:02:14,040And therefore, I am certainly not the first to talk about strategies to avoid burnout.2800:02:14,040 --> 00:02:20,400But I did want to talk about strategies to avoid burnout in a different perspective.2900:02:20,400 --> 00:02:24,900Is this an exhaustive list of all the things that you can do to avoid burnout?3000:02:24,900 --> 00:02:28,280The answer is definitely no.3100:02:28,280 --> 00:02:32,040But I think it's important to think about things differently.3200:02:32,040 --> 00:02:37,160So this will be a little bit different from perhaps what you've been told as to how to3300:02:37,160 --> 00:02:39,440avoid burnout.3400:02:39,440 --> 00:02:45,560And this is especially pertinent for me because I feel like by the time, I mean, I've had3500:02:45,560 --> 00:02:53,960burnout throughout stages of my medical training and my time as a faculty person.3600:02:53,960 --> 00:03:02,320I will say that when I look back on my training, it's hard to say when the highest levels of3700:03:02,320 --> 00:03:06,020burnout were because I was ready to quit medicine even in medical school.3800:03:06,020 --> 00:03:14,600So definitely, there was burnout there, you know, and certainly as a resident.3900:03:14,600 --> 00:03:19,200And oh, goodness, was I the crabbiest first year fellow ever?4000:03:19,200 --> 00:03:23,280Wow, it feels like I've been burned out a lot in medicine.4100:03:23,280 --> 00:03:31,840But anyway, I say all that to say that the time in my life that was most critical as4200:03:31,840 --> 00:03:36,960far as being burned out was really as a faculty person.4300:03:36,960 --> 00:03:46,040And I feel like I tolerated a lot when I first started in terms of all the resources I didn't4400:03:46,040 --> 00:03:48,880have and all the things I was required to do.4500:03:48,880 --> 00:03:51,240But everybody else was doing the same.4600:03:51,240 --> 00:03:55,120So there was always the sense that, well, you know, everybody else is sucking it up4700:03:55,120 --> 00:03:56,120and doing the work.4800:03:56,120 --> 00:03:58,360Why don't I?4900:03:58,360 --> 00:04:05,440But we can't measure our experience against other people's experiences, right?5000:04:05,440 --> 00:04:08,800Because we don't know what resources they have access to.5100:04:08,800 --> 00:04:12,240We don't know what other challenges they're facing.5200:04:12,240 --> 00:04:14,400And so the right comparison is really to yourself.5300:04:14,400 --> 00:04:18,960But anyway, I feel like I tolerated it for a long time until it got to a time during5400:04:18,960 --> 00:04:24,200the pandemic where I just had given actually a lot, given everything.5500:04:24,200 --> 00:04:30,760And I finally came to a day where I was just literally waiting.5600:04:30,760 --> 00:04:34,400I was like a day from vacation and I was desperate.5700:04:34,400 --> 00:04:36,520I was desperate to get away from the hospital.5800:04:36,520 --> 00:04:40,560I was desperate to leave everything and I was exhausted.5900:04:40,560 --> 00:04:45,800I was worn out and my spirit was so beat out.6000:04:45,800 --> 00:04:48,000It was bad.6100:04:48,000 --> 00:04:55,080I remember I came home that day having left behind the weight of work or at least, you6200:04:55,080 --> 00:04:57,640know, shed as much of it as I could.6300:04:57,640 --> 00:05:03,080And I saw my neighbor in the driveway and I forget what question she asked me.6400:05:03,080 --> 00:05:09,360And I remember telling her that if I died right now, it would be a good outcome.6500:05:09,360 --> 00:05:17,720And I won't say that I was suicidal, but I definitely had this sense of, you know what?6600:05:17,720 --> 00:05:20,840The after life is looking really good right now.6700:05:20,840 --> 00:05:23,840It won't be a bad outcome.6800:05:23,840 --> 00:05:31,560You know, you know, you're you're kind of wow, nearing or at rock bottom when it feels6900:05:31,560 --> 00:05:34,000better to be dead than alive.7000:05:34,000 --> 00:05:35,040Yeah.7100:05:35,040 --> 00:05:41,600So I would say that that may have been the lowest point of my time in medicine.7200:05:41,600 --> 00:05:45,900Certainly was the lowest point of my time as a faculty member.7300:05:45,900 --> 00:05:50,520The good news is about being at your lowest point is that there is nowhere else to go7400:05:50,520 --> 00:05:51,520but up.7500:05:51,520 --> 00:05:53,360You know, you can stay where you are.7600:05:53,360 --> 00:05:55,200That's one option.7700:05:55,200 --> 00:05:58,320But but up is a possibility.7800:05:58,320 --> 00:06:01,400And so I'm on the other side of that now.7900:06:01,400 --> 00:06:08,080And I feel like I work probably as hard now as I did then.8000:06:08,080 --> 00:06:14,040But I have a sense of purpose about my work and I have joy and so much energy around my8100:06:14,040 --> 00:06:15,040work.8200:06:15,040 --> 00:06:19,840So even though I am still working hard, I'm definitely in a different place today than8300:06:19,840 --> 00:06:22,240I was before.8400:06:22,240 --> 00:06:30,240So I want to share with you seven strategies that I employ to avoid burnout.8500:06:30,240 --> 00:06:35,920And I invite you to consider them as well.8600:06:35,920 --> 00:06:37,960Here we go.8700:06:37,960 --> 00:06:43,060Number one is to look around you with discernment.8800:06:43,060 --> 00:06:48,320So another way to say it is to take off the rose colored glasses and really give your8900:06:48,320 --> 00:06:52,560environment a long hard look.9000:06:52,560 --> 00:06:59,400If you are a clinician, a physician who went through at least four years of medical school,9100:06:59,400 --> 00:07:06,880possibly more, couple of years of residency, and couple of years of fellowship, you would9200:07:06,880 --> 00:07:11,160count relative to the general population as a crazy person.9300:07:11,160 --> 00:07:18,360And what I mean is that your baseline is very high functioning relative to the people around9400:07:18,360 --> 00:07:19,760you.9500:07:19,760 --> 00:07:28,760So recognize that as a person in medicine, as a clinician in particular, your tolerance9600:07:28,760 --> 00:07:35,280of crap is very, very high.9700:07:35,280 --> 00:07:38,760And if that were the end of the story, that would be good.9800:07:38,760 --> 00:07:44,080But it gets worse because you look around you and there are people who can push the9900:07:44,080 --> 00:07:45,080limits.10000:07:45,080 --> 00:07:49,760That's like, oh, you can stay up three days in a row without going to bed, oh, I can do10100:07:49,760 --> 00:07:50,760four.10200:07:50,760 --> 00:07:53,520There's a lot of pathology in medicine.10300:07:53,520 --> 00:07:57,200There are a lot of people who are sick in medicine.10400:07:57,200 --> 00:08:02,960There are a lot of unhealthy doctors trying to care for patients.10500:08:02,960 --> 00:08:07,560And we cannot give the health that we do not have.10600:08:07,560 --> 00:08:12,640And oh, yeah, we can push medication and do chest compressions.10700:08:12,640 --> 00:08:16,040We can do stuff, bring people back.10800:08:16,040 --> 00:08:17,920We can help people feel better.10900:08:17,920 --> 00:08:25,680But if we are unhealthy, we can physically help people, but emotionally, we don't serve11000:08:25,680 --> 00:08:29,560them and potentially we're pulling them down.11100:08:29,560 --> 00:08:36,760And so it's important for us to look around our environment and recognize the sickness11200:08:36,760 --> 00:08:41,120that pervades the healthcare system.11300:08:41,120 --> 00:08:48,540And I'm talking in particular about the healthcare workers within the healthcare system, particularly11400:08:48,540 --> 00:08:50,640clinicians.11500:08:50,640 --> 00:08:56,040And if you are a clinician scientist and you don't spend as much time doing clinical work,11600:08:56,040 --> 00:08:59,000maybe you spare yourself some of that.11700:08:59,000 --> 00:09:04,640But I will guarantee you that this is not a problem only for clinicians.11800:09:04,640 --> 00:09:08,120It is a problem for scientists as well.11900:09:08,120 --> 00:09:14,920This whole idea that you work and work and then you work again and the whole idea that12000:09:14,920 --> 00:09:20,280rest is a problem.12100:09:20,280 --> 00:09:26,080So it's just important to look around you with discernment and recognize that this is12200:09:26,080 --> 00:09:28,640not the real world.12300:09:28,640 --> 00:09:34,840The world that you inhabit on a daily basis as a clinician going into an academic medical12400:09:34,840 --> 00:09:41,960environment is not a healthy world, not the real world.12500:09:41,960 --> 00:09:47,960And so I invite you first to look around with discernment so that you recognize that this12600:09:47,960 --> 00:09:53,960is not the environment by which you should set the standards of operating your life.12700:09:53,960 --> 00:09:57,120Now we do that because it's the default environment.12800:09:57,120 --> 00:09:59,240What are we going to do?12900:09:59,240 --> 00:10:00,240But we can choose.13000:10:00,240 --> 00:10:06,920And when we look around with discernment, not with judgment, not with blame, we're like,13100:10:06,920 --> 00:10:09,920oh, all right, there are a lot of sick people around me.13200:10:09,920 --> 00:10:10,920Got it.13300:10:10,920 --> 00:10:15,840It's really powerful because it allows us to choose.13400:10:15,840 --> 00:10:21,920What do I do to stay healthy in an environment where I'm surrounded by people who are not13500:10:21,920 --> 00:10:24,920healthy?13600:10:24,920 --> 00:10:29,440How do I avoid contagion?13700:10:29,440 --> 00:10:31,080You could leave the environment.13800:10:31,080 --> 00:10:33,000That's one option.13900:10:33,000 --> 00:10:36,120You could come in with personal protective equipment.14000:10:36,120 --> 00:10:38,480That's another option.14100:10:38,480 --> 00:10:47,140The extent of the personal protective equipment that you come in with can vary, right?14200:10:47,140 --> 00:10:51,480But you get to choose when you look around with discernment.14300:10:51,480 --> 00:10:53,880You take off the rose-colored glasses.14400:10:53,880 --> 00:10:56,760You stop saying, oh my gosh, it's such a wonderful environment.14500:10:56,760 --> 00:10:57,760It is wonderful.14600:10:57,760 --> 00:11:00,080There's so many great things that happen in medicine.14700:11:00,080 --> 00:11:08,400And it's full of many clinicians, many clinician scientists who are sick.14800:11:08,400 --> 00:11:13,120You can continue to be one of them, or you can choose how you're going to navigate this14900:11:13,120 --> 00:11:19,760environment the moment you recognize that a sick environment could be making you sick.15000:11:19,760 --> 00:11:25,360Again, this is not an invitation to quit medicine, though maybe that might be the answer for you15100:11:25,360 --> 00:11:26,360right now.15200:11:26,360 --> 00:11:34,560But it's an invitation to stop lying to yourself, to stop living in denial of being in a healthy15300:11:34,560 --> 00:11:37,960environment because when you're no longer in that denial, then you don't ask yourself15400:11:37,960 --> 00:11:40,760what is wrong with you.15500:11:40,760 --> 00:11:46,280You recognize that the environment is driving some of the experiences you're having, and15600:11:46,280 --> 00:11:52,000it gives you power to choose how to manage your experience.15700:11:52,000 --> 00:11:53,480Okay.15800:11:53,480 --> 00:12:01,920Number two is to recognize your ultimate weakness.15900:12:01,920 --> 00:12:04,720Recognize your ultimate weakness.16000:12:04,720 --> 00:12:13,080Your ultimate weakness, no it's not kryptonite, oh Superman.16100:12:13,080 --> 00:12:19,480The ultimate weakness is that you don't have very much control over many things.16200:12:19,480 --> 00:12:23,880But you do have control over yourself.16300:12:23,880 --> 00:12:26,840Let's just get to the next thing right away.16400:12:26,840 --> 00:12:32,840But it is important to recognize how little of anybody else beyond yourself you control.16500:12:32,840 --> 00:12:40,160This is really powerful and important to recognize that you are so weak when it comes to controlling16600:12:40,160 --> 00:12:48,440other people, that it is a waste of energy to invest time trying to do that.16700:12:48,440 --> 00:12:54,360You are so weak, you are such a loser when it comes to controlling other people, I use16800:12:54,360 --> 00:13:01,720that word intentionally, that you should stop trying.16900:13:01,720 --> 00:13:05,640Because you cannot successfully control somebody else.17000:13:05,640 --> 00:13:08,040Now, you know, some people are pretty skilled.17100:13:08,040 --> 00:13:11,160So there's a lot of skilled people out there.17200:13:11,160 --> 00:13:13,680I've seen skilled manipulators.17300:13:13,680 --> 00:13:16,960I've seen people who are skilled at using fear tactics.17400:13:16,960 --> 00:13:22,720There are a lot of strategies in medicine.17500:13:22,720 --> 00:13:31,380But ultimately, you're pretty weak because you don't have power to control other people.17600:13:31,380 --> 00:13:34,920If you're going to work to control other people, and some people are actually successful in17700:13:34,920 --> 00:13:39,680controlling others, you're going to invest a lot of energy.17800:13:39,680 --> 00:13:43,280And if you're investing a lot of energy in controlling people, you're probably not accomplishing17900:13:43,280 --> 00:13:45,840anything of significance.18000:13:45,840 --> 00:13:55,680But your weakness is that the power you have available to you is to control yourself to18100:13:55,680 --> 00:13:59,320the best of your ability, because sometimes you can't even do that.18200:13:59,320 --> 00:14:06,960But in recognizing your ultimate weakness, it allows you to think about, number three,18300:14:06,960 --> 00:14:10,960shrinking to your circle of influence.18400:14:10,960 --> 00:14:18,320If you cannot control a wider circle outside you, what can you control?18500:14:18,320 --> 00:14:21,360You can control yourself.18600:14:21,360 --> 00:14:24,700You can learn to control your thought life.18700:14:24,700 --> 00:14:28,920You can learn to control the way you respond.18800:14:28,920 --> 00:14:31,520You can learn to control you.18900:14:31,520 --> 00:14:32,720Wow.19000:14:32,720 --> 00:14:34,860How much power is there?19100:14:34,860 --> 00:14:36,600How much is freed up?19200:14:36,600 --> 00:14:39,160How much energy is freed up?19300:14:39,160 --> 00:14:45,800When you stop running around chasing other people to fix the environment, and instead19400:14:45,800 --> 00:14:47,360you change yourself.19500:14:47,360 --> 00:14:54,680The power of changing yourself in an environment of sickness is that you stop asking the environment19600:14:54,680 --> 00:14:57,700to fix itself so you can be better.19700:14:57,700 --> 00:15:03,760You ask, how do I fix me so I can be better, whether the environment chooses or not?19800:15:03,760 --> 00:15:08,680Because I have to tell you in medicine, we complain a bit a lot about our environments,19900:15:08,680 --> 00:15:14,640but the reality is the environments we have are the environments we have collectively20000:15:14,640 --> 00:15:16,440created.20100:15:16,440 --> 00:15:24,400And the reason that they have not changed is that we connive to keep them alive.20200:15:24,400 --> 00:15:25,400We do.20300:15:25,400 --> 00:15:29,600We're like, I hate this system, it sucks so much.20400:15:29,600 --> 00:15:32,000And things don't change.20500:15:32,000 --> 00:15:34,640It's because we collude to keep things going.20600:15:34,640 --> 00:15:36,680There is secondary gain.20700:15:36,680 --> 00:15:40,960Maybe you don't see it personally, there are people who see the benefit, the secondary20800:15:40,960 --> 00:15:49,080gain of the constant complaining and griping that happens because people aren't happy.20900:15:49,080 --> 00:15:51,920But a lot of it won't change.21000:15:51,920 --> 00:15:57,280Not unless you do, when you change, everything changes.21100:15:57,280 --> 00:16:02,200When you change, it doesn't matter that people don't want to work.21200:16:02,200 --> 00:16:04,020Doesn't matter.21300:16:04,020 --> 00:16:07,640Because you get to choose how you respond.21400:16:07,640 --> 00:16:10,800Whether you stay or you go, you get to choose.21500:16:10,800 --> 00:16:15,240So number three is to shrink to your circle of influence.21600:16:15,240 --> 00:16:16,240That's really you.21700:16:16,240 --> 00:16:20,840Oh yeah, you can influence other people who are closest to you.21800:16:20,840 --> 00:16:25,520For the most part, as you focus on yourself, then what you have the opportunity to do is21900:16:25,520 --> 00:16:28,520to inspire others.22000:16:28,520 --> 00:16:33,040It's much more powerful than trying to control them or manipulate them into doing what you22100:16:33,040 --> 00:16:35,820want them to do.22200:16:35,820 --> 00:16:38,140Number four is focus.22300:16:38,140 --> 00:16:41,180Focus like a laser.22400:16:41,180 --> 00:16:42,440Focus like a laser.22500:16:42,440 --> 00:16:49,240Once you've discovered your superpower of changing yourself, it's time to focus.22600:16:49,240 --> 00:16:52,440It's time to focus on growing that power.22700:16:52,440 --> 00:16:55,200So how much of you can you control?22800:16:55,200 --> 00:17:00,360Can you keep your cool even when a patient is yelling at you and you can feel his saliva22900:17:00,360 --> 00:17:02,400in your face?23000:17:02,400 --> 00:17:05,240Yeah.23100:17:05,240 --> 00:17:11,640Focus like a laser on yourself allows you to increase your superpower to a place that23200:17:11,640 --> 00:17:14,720you didn't even know existed.23300:17:14,720 --> 00:17:23,160And so focus like a laser, focus your energy like a laser on yourself.23400:17:23,160 --> 00:17:27,120Cause that's the person that you ultimately are able to control.23500:17:27,120 --> 00:17:32,160I mean, yes, yes, you ultimately able to control yourself.23600:17:32,160 --> 00:17:40,160Now does that mean you have power to control other people once you figured out yourself?23700:17:40,160 --> 00:17:41,880No.23800:17:41,880 --> 00:17:49,360You focus like a laser on yourself and that empowers you to make change happen for yourself.23900:17:49,360 --> 00:17:54,720Other people see that you are changing and then they follow you.24000:17:54,720 --> 00:17:57,520Focus like a laser.24100:17:57,520 --> 00:18:00,920Number five is to choose to give people a pass.24200:18:00,920 --> 00:18:01,920People are going to get it wrong.24300:18:01,920 --> 00:18:03,520They're going to do the wrong thing.24400:18:03,520 --> 00:18:05,640They're going to mess up.24500:18:05,640 --> 00:18:09,560You could stand, you could judge them and yell at them and say, I can't believe you24600:18:09,560 --> 00:18:10,560are so stupid.24700:18:10,560 --> 00:18:12,400I can't believe this person we hired them.24800:18:12,400 --> 00:18:13,720What's wrong with them?24900:18:13,720 --> 00:18:16,760Or you can say, oh, that's interesting.25000:18:16,760 --> 00:18:17,760You did that.25100:18:17,760 --> 00:18:18,760Okay.25200:18:18,760 --> 00:18:20,680And walk away.25300:18:20,680 --> 00:18:23,240Choose to give people a pass.25400:18:23,240 --> 00:18:24,240They're not perfect.25500:18:24,240 --> 00:18:25,240They'll never be.25600:18:25,240 --> 00:18:29,080Stop being surprised when this person who's always lying lies again.25700:18:29,080 --> 00:18:31,440You're like, I can't believe you lied.25800:18:31,440 --> 00:18:34,680But this is the 199th time you can't believe they have lied.25900:18:34,680 --> 00:18:35,680When are you going to believe it?26000:18:35,680 --> 00:18:41,120When are you going to believe that this person who's so amazing, so awesome, this guy that26100:18:41,120 --> 00:18:44,960you refer and look up to is a liar?26200:18:44,960 --> 00:18:49,160When are you going to accept it?26300:18:49,160 --> 00:18:51,480And so you just say, oh, you lied again.26400:18:51,480 --> 00:18:52,640There it is.26500:18:52,640 --> 00:18:57,800Choose to give people a pass because the energy you use to try to convince them to change26600:18:57,800 --> 00:19:03,120is somehow not being well spent because it's wasted.26700:19:03,120 --> 00:19:04,120So choose.26800:19:04,120 --> 00:19:05,120Choose to give people a pass.26900:19:05,120 --> 00:19:06,520Say, oh, there you go.27000:19:06,520 --> 00:19:12,400The guy who lies all the time, the guy who's always wheeling and dealing and trying to27100:19:12,400 --> 00:19:14,280pull a fast one on you.27200:19:14,280 --> 00:19:18,480And you just know that, okay, the moment you walk in the door and walk out the back door,27300:19:18,480 --> 00:19:20,720right, you just have a plan.27400:19:20,720 --> 00:19:24,240You don't have to stand and judge them and say, I can't believe you're like this.27500:19:24,240 --> 00:19:25,240You just let it go.27600:19:25,240 --> 00:19:26,240Just let it go.27700:19:26,240 --> 00:19:30,000And that's why number six is know when it's time to walk away.27800:19:30,000 --> 00:19:31,360Know when it's time to walk away.27900:19:31,360 --> 00:19:36,880And this is so important because in reality, some of the people who are the sickest in28000:19:36,880 --> 00:19:41,680our environments are some of the people who are the most decorated, right?28100:19:41,680 --> 00:19:47,720The most decorated generals in medicine are some of the sickest in medicine.28200:19:47,720 --> 00:19:49,760You can recognize them.28300:19:49,760 --> 00:19:54,880Other people recognize them, but they're so successful.28400:19:54,880 --> 00:19:57,280Nobody says anything.28500:19:57,280 --> 00:20:00,600But you know, you know who they are.28600:20:00,600 --> 00:20:08,040And that's why it's important for you to know when it's time to walk away.28700:20:08,040 --> 00:20:16,040When all of a sudden you are growing in bad habits that don't serve you.28800:20:16,040 --> 00:20:21,520Even no matter how amazing this person is, no matter how much of a mentor they were to28900:20:21,520 --> 00:20:29,980you know when it's time to walk away from a culture that hurts you.29000:20:29,980 --> 00:20:32,360Number seven is own your power to choose.29100:20:32,360 --> 00:20:35,160I hear physicians saying all the time, I have no choice.29200:20:35,160 --> 00:20:39,000You always, always have a choice.29300:20:39,000 --> 00:20:46,520The reason you think you don't have a choice is because you do not know the options.29400:20:46,520 --> 00:20:51,760Because the moment you figure out that you have options, then you know, you know beyond29500:20:51,760 --> 00:20:57,200the shadow of a doubt that you have the power to choose.29600:20:57,200 --> 00:20:59,280Own your power to choose.29700:20:59,280 --> 00:21:02,720And you can choose not to have it.29800:21:02,720 --> 00:21:07,840You can choose to have it in a little dose, but you're choosing.29900:21:07,840 --> 00:21:10,120So own your power.30000:21:10,120 --> 00:21:13,120Own your power to choose.30100:21:13,120 --> 00:21:17,240As you do these things, you're going to begin to avoid burnout.30200:21:17,240 --> 00:21:21,520You're going to begin to avoid burnout because number one, you look around with discernment30300:21:21,520 --> 00:21:23,840and you just are not, you're not disillusioned.30400:21:23,840 --> 00:21:25,600You're like, do people behave badly?30500:21:25,600 --> 00:21:26,600Oh, okay, they do.30600:21:26,600 --> 00:21:28,120There you go.30700:21:28,120 --> 00:21:30,160Now use your energy for something else.30800:21:30,160 --> 00:21:35,840Number two, recognize your ultimate weakness, your inability to control another person,30900:21:35,840 --> 00:21:41,040except by fear or coercion or extreme craziness.31000:21:41,040 --> 00:21:48,120But if you're going to be a normal human, recognize your inability to help people unless31100:21:48,120 --> 00:21:50,400they want to be helped.31200:21:50,400 --> 00:21:53,400Recognize that you don't successfully control people.31300:21:53,400 --> 00:21:54,400Okay.31400:21:54,400 --> 00:22:00,880Number three, shrink to your circle of influence, that's you.31500:22:00,880 --> 00:22:03,000Number four, focus like a laser.31600:22:03,000 --> 00:22:05,880Number five, choose to give people a pass.31700:22:05,880 --> 00:22:08,160Number six, know when it's time to walk away.31800:22:08,160 --> 00:22:13,200Oh, number seven, own your power to choose.31900:22:13,200 --> 00:22:18,440And so those are seven strategies to avoid burnout, especially for clinicians trying32000:22:18,440 --> 00:22:20,840to make the transition towards research.32100:22:20,840 --> 00:22:22,720All right.32200:22:22,720 --> 00:22:26,360It's been a pleasure talking with you, Jay.32300:22:26,360 --> 00:22:27,360Thank you for listening.32400:22:27,360 --> 00:22:30,640Go forth and prosper.32500:22:30,640 --> 00:22:32,520Have a great week.32600:22:32,520 --> 00:22:34,960Thank you.32700:22:34,960 --> 00:22:41,920It is important to know that we do have a webinar coming up on December 20th at noon.32800:22:41,920 --> 00:22:43,920This is when you don't have a mentor.32900:22:43,920 --> 00:22:48,120And I'm betting there are many people out there who have no mentor.33000:22:48,120 --> 00:22:54,320Come and listen to strategies to succeed, even whether or not you have a mentor.33100:22:54,320 --> 00:22:55,320All right.33200:22:55,320 --> 00:22:56,320It's been a pleasure.33300:22:56,320 --> 00:22:57,920Thank you for listening.33400:22:57,920 --> 00:23:02,320Please share this episode with someone and invite them to like and subscribe.33500:23:02,320 --> 00:23:03,320Take care.33600:23:03,320 --> 00:23:04,320Bye-bye.33700:23:04,320 --> 00:23:16,480Thanks for listening to this episode of the Clinician Researcher Podcast, where academic33800:23:16,480 --> 00:23:21,880clinicians learn the skills to build their own research program, whether or not they33900:23:21,880 --> 00:23:23,280have a mentor.34000:23:23,280 --> 00:23:29,380If you found the information in this episode to be helpful, don't keep it all to yourself.34100:23:29,380 --> 00:23:31,120Someone else needs to hear it.34200:23:31,120 --> 00:23:35,160So take a minute right now and share it.34300:23:35,160 --> 00:23:40,640As you share this episode, you become part of our mission to help launch a new generation34400:23:40,640 --> 00:23:46,600of clinician researchers who make transformative discoveries that change the way we do healthcare.