Stress and Burnout Among Surgeons Understanding and Managing the Syndrome and Avoiding the Adverse Consequences

Training for and practicing surgery are stressful endeavors.(1-4) Studies(5-11) involving national samples of surgeons from surgical subspecialty societies and graduates of surgical training programs suggest that burnout rates among surgeons range from 30% to 38%. These statistics indicate that a substantial number of our colleagues are struggling with personal and professional distress at a level that should be of concern to all surgeons.