Healthcare professionals throughout the world heed a calling that compels them to devote their lives to the treatment of their patients. While this work is generally rewarding, these professionals frequently fall victim to stressors and happiness barriers that impact their ability to function at work, the longevity of their career and the quality of their relationships outside of the hospital. Burnout, diminished career fulfilment, substance abuse, and suicide data for healthcare professionals demonstrate that the risks to this population are incredibly real. Unfortunately, there is nothing to suggest that any of these stressors are improving as pandemics, access disparities, changes in healthcare system structure, and patient complexity further escalate work-related challenges.
Thankfully, there are sources of help readily available to each of us. All healthcare professionals have encountered a colleague, mentor or expert who has already navigated or has a perspective on how to thrive in the setting of hardship. This book will organize the voices of these leaders in a way that provides readers with a source for advice and inspiration. Sections of chapters are dedicated to work-life balance, family, finances, faith, resiliency, and recovery.
For those healthcare workers actively caring for patients and struggling with their career, this book will serve as a source of solace and inspiration that should help to reinvigorate and extend a successful career.
Kristopher Schroeder, MD FASA
Professor
Interim Vice Chair of Education
Vice Chair of Faculty Development
Department of Anesthesiology
University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
600 Highland Avenue, B6/319
Madison, WI 53792
kmschro1@wisc.edu
Twitter: @KristopherSchr6
Kristopher Schroeder, MD is a flawed but devoted husband, father, son, brother, and colleague. He is a runner of slow marathons, hiker of winding trails, gardener of doomed plants, and activities transporter for his three daughters. His marriage to a veterinary anesthesiologist has blessed his life with abundant career collaboration opportunities and an ark of creatures including a horse, dog, cat, goats, turkeys, geese, tortoise, and blue-tongued skink. In his professional activities, he serves as a professor of anesthesiology with a clinical focus on the practice of regional anesthesia and acute painmedicine. In addition to practicing clinical medicine, he seeks to address issues relevant to faculty advancement and improve the education of medical learners. Dr. Schroeder has served on multiple national committees and has published/lectured extensively on topics relevant to pain management, anesthesiology, and wellness.
