Center for Professional & Personal Renewal



	free quarterly newsletter book chapters by Dr. Moskowitz media interviews articles by Dr. Moskowitz		Career Management: How to avoid the pit of radiology burnout By Emily Hayes Diagnostic Imaging October 1997 …Managed care may not be the only culprit, but it certainly has accelerated the process of professional burnout for some radiologists and other physicians, said Dr. Peter Moskowitz, a practicing radiologist and career counselor. "Physicians have seen a progressive loss of control over the way they practice medicine. The clinical decision-making processes have been taken out of their hands," said Moskowitz, who is co-director of the Center for Professional and Personal Renewal in Palo Alto, California.

			Dwindling Incomes In addition to the negative clinical and psychological factors associated with change, financial disincentives have contributed to stress and disillusionment in the medical profession. Due to the competitive pressures wrought by managed care, radiologists' incomes have fallen by more than 30% in some parts of the country. The economic hit undermines the fact that radiologists have made a huge lifetime investment in their medical education, and often have dedicated decades to a practice and a particular patient population, Moskowitz said. "Suddenly, without giving up that hard work, commitment, and dedication, radiologists' economic reward is being reduced by 30% to 50%," he said. Side-effects of financial stress include interpersonal conflicts among members in radiology groups. "As one very wise radiologist once said to me, 'The glue that holds many radiology groups together is money, and when the money starts to go, so does the fraternity,'" Moskowitz said. …"The battle cry of the physician is 'I can handle this myself.' They are reluctant to reach out for help, because there is a certain degree of shame involved in being needy," Moskowitz said. Consequently, physicians may not seek help until their problems snowball into a personal and professional crisis. Ultimately, they may be forced to seek help following a self-destructive event, such as drunk driving, an arrest for drug possession, or an emotional or abusive outburst in the radiology workplace. These types of behaviors may land them in diversion programs designed for impaired physicians. Seeking Help …The biggest obstacle for radiologists in making positive transitions is that they believe they are stuck in radiology and fail to see how their skills are applicable to other fields in medicine. "That is the ethic I grew up with. My parents told me that I had better make a good professional choice because I would have to live with it for a lifetime. That is not true, we all can make the choice to change," Moskowitz said.