Studies consistently show that more than half of American physicians are suffering symptoms of burnout. Consider that astonishing statistic. What if half the country or half of your own profession were suffering from a disease? Wouldn’t you expect- or demand - that every available resource be devoted to crush it and rescue the afflicted? Is the medical profession and society at large attacking the physician burnout plague? Not as I see it. Indeed, the statistics are all trending in the wrong direction. Physicians and their families, their employers, other medical professionals, the government, and the public are all aware of this epidemic. I often read expressions of deep concern for doctors’ plight, but the concern is not a treatment. We know the various forces and pressures that are pushing doctors toward the precipice. There’s no mystery here. Yet, why won’t anyone pull these doctors back from the edge? What are we waiting for? A burnout pandemic? We have to put thi
I have never served in the armed forces, but I have enormous respect for our veterans and for those who serve now. My father served for 39 months during World War II. Fortunately, he was not placed in harm's way. During that era, nearly every young male served joining together in an existential conflict between good and evil. This experience bound the entire nation together in a shared purpose with shared sacrifice. Our nation so desperately needs an experience that will transcend our divisions to unite us as Americans. Is there a moonshot out there that we could all rally behind? Is there a leader in sight who can bring us together? What if we could agree on our country's top 3 goals and then join forces to achieve them? Hey wait, I have an idea. What if a deadly pandemic swept across the nation that could have the potential of causing over a million fatalities? Facing this common enemy, we would surely become united against a deadly foe that was striking wildly w