There is a resident doctor on TikTok named Julia who is also a raver. She posts about her training, and her weekends, dancing, festivals, après ski, living a full and visibly joyful life outside the hospital. The comments on her videos are glowing. “I would love to have a doctor like you.” “You seem like a real person.” A lot of patients are not looking for a self-sacrificing doctor who …
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Moving beyond the false binary of medicine as a calling
In the first episode of The Pitt season 2, Dr. Robby reveals he’s taking a three-month sabbatical, his last shift before heading to a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Canada. For a primetime medical drama to feature a physician stepping away for three months signals something important: Sabbaticals are entering the cultural conversation about how doctors survive in modern medicine.
But here’s what the show doesn’t tell you: Most physicians can’t …
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Why every physician needs a sabbatical (and how to take one)
I direct a Faculty Well-being Champions Program overseeing 47 physician champions across 33 departments. I also practice palliative care part-time and coach physicians navigating burnout. I liaise with well-being leaders nationwide, some at programs just checking a wellness box, others genuinely trying to get it right. This year taught me that well-being work reveals patterns. The same destructive habits show up across institutions, specialties, and conversations.
As 2025 closes, here are …
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5 things health care must stop doing to improve physician well-being
“Health-care professionals are increasingly demoralised by pressure to prioritise their employers’ financial goals over patients’ needs and professional norms, as space for good work in a bad system narrows.” This statement from an October 2025 Lancet article spoke directly to my experience.
By all quantifiable metrics, I was successful. I’d just been promoted to associate professor in the number-one-ranked department in the country for my specialty. I had a rewarding leadership …
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Reclaiming physician agency in a broken system
AI is rolling out in medicine faster than most of us can process. Ambient scribes documenting visits. Clinical decision support algorithms. Automated prior authorizations. The promises are compelling: reduced clerical burden, more face-time with patients, less burnout.
I wanted this. As a palliative care doctor and director of physician well-being at my institution, I’ve spent years watching colleagues drown in documentation and burn out from relentless task loads. When AI tools …
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The human cost of health care automation
