Recognizing stress and avoiding burnout

Clinician educators are uniquely positioned to enjoy the benefits of a career in patient care and teaching. They are also at risk of increasing levels of stress and potential burnout. Factors contributing to burnout in clinician educators include the work environment, the type of work the individual is performing (patient care, teaching, etc.), personality characteristics being female, insufficient social support, and mismanaged responsibilities. Individuals experiencing increasing stress and burnout may present with physical, emotional, and mental warning signs. Clinician educators, their supervisors, and their mentors must work together to prevent burnout. Strategies to prevent burnout include reducing stress, keeping personal health strong, building a strong social network, obtaining clear expectations in all facets of one's professional life, improving time management, participating in a mentoring program, and self-reflecting on personality characteristics that may be contributing to stress and burnout. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.