Using Passion to Deal with Burnout

Profession: Physician

Submitted On: November 18th, 2020

Trigger Warnings: 9/11, anxiety

"I'm a physician with a very non-traditional background, having originally come from the investment banking career path. Having worked in Wall Street early on in my life has helped prepare me for the rigors of medicine. Both careers are very similar: they both come with big paychecks, require a ton of grit, and come with long hours, with analysts often times working 70-100 hour weeks. Many of my colleagues often times joke that I merely jumped from one burnout field to another, but I've always seen it differently. The difference for me was passion. I hated my analyst job (I was young and did it for the money), and so I remember having more than a couple nervous breakdowns due to stress. It's so much harder to burn out if you love what you do, and I love medicine. There's just something special about working in a career in which others trust you with their very lives. I've never lost this fire inside of me ever since I picked up the stethoscope. This fire was sparked on September 11th, 2001, when I vividly remember the destruction and chaos that ensued from the mass tragedy. I was there, in the streets, trying to help the injured get to the paramedics and the first responders. Some were so badly hurt, but I felt helpless in my bloodied suit, unable to do anything. That's when I started looking into the medical field, and I never looked back, going back to school to eventually become an emergency doctor. Whether you have a compelling story like mine or not, as long as you have passion, things work out in the end!"

We appreciate the opportunity to share stories like these with our community, with the goal of destigmatizing the struggles faced within the medical field.