Dr. Scott A. MacDiarmid invites urologists to begin their journey to combating burnout and finding joy

In this video, Scott A. MacDiarmid, MD, FRCPSC, offers an introduction to the new Urology Times® video series “Begin Your Journey.” MacDiarmid is a urologist with Alliance Urology Specialists in Greensboro, North Carolina, and is also the author of the book Fist Pumps: The Prescription for Physician Burnout.

Transcription:

Welcome to our interactive series on physician wellness that we've entitled "Begin Your Journey." I'm very proud to be here today and to be working with Urology Times®. I really want to thank them not only for supporting this important project, but [also] for [what they do for] our practices and for urology as a profession. The goal of this series is quite simple: is to help create a world that lifts up physicians and health care providers who serve. I realized that that was my lofty goal, actually, when I was writing my book, Fist Pumps: The Prescription for Physician Burnout. Unfortunately, physician burnout and health care provider burnout is a national crisis. It just is. Too many providers feel frustrated and irritated. I think many of us are angry and resentful. I think a lot of doctors and providers feel devalued and perhaps commoditized by the health care system. I often ask, why has practicing medicine, where we're trying to help others, become such a grind, and really quite difficult, especially in the last decade, and it seems to be getting worse over the last few years. I think the system knows there's a problem, but very few meaningful solutions are being offered. In our wellness series, over the next several weeks, we're going to interview a number of experts, looking for help. We're going to interview other physicians, wellness coaches, hopefully authors, and others. The goal is to provide solutions and survival tactics for you to fight burnout. We really want to encourage all providers to be joyful and fulfilled when they're using their gifts and talents to help others while they're serving. Waiting for others to fix health care is not a good strategy. Instead, be determined to begin your journey to your mountaintop of joy and fulfillment. And don't underestimate—this is very important—don't underestimate the importance of making the decision that you're going to start practicing and living differently. I and I think many others believe that thousands of like-minded people can create a world that lifts up physicians and health care providers who serve. I think we can encourage and help one another, and then, as 1 voice, we then hopefully can impact and change the system. Thank you very much, and welcome to our series.

This transcription was edited for clarity.