Two Categories of Physicians to Consider

Physicians generally find Spirit in Medicine useful, but there are two categories of physicians for whom it has special value. First are physicians who are burned out or burning out. Physicians today are under assault. They invested many years to develop their skills, often at great personal cost. Now their work is under growing legal and bureaucratic scrutiny, and they find their incomes, their respect in society, and their job satisfaction deteriorating. When you see them in the clinic, their symptoms are varied. Some show fatigue, lassitude, coolness, and aloofness. Others fail to control anger. Yet others become dominating and abusive as they try to bolster a flagging self-esteem and regain a feeling of control. The second category is physicians’ groups that are newly formed, growing very quickly, or experiencing group dysfunction.