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Physician Health & Wellness in the Era of COVID-19: Mental Health Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Physicians

Physician Health & Wellness in the Era of COVID-19: Mental Health Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Physicians

Physician Health & Wellness in the Era of COVID-19: Mental Health Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Physicians

For most physicians, the practice of medicine is as much a calling as it is a profession.  The calling of this practice is rooted in the character of the physician whose daily decisions and patient

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5 Actionable Ways to Manage Panic Attacks

Panic attacks can be frightening and disorienting, often arriving without warning and creating a surge of intense physical and emotional sensations. Approximately 4.7% of U.S. adults experience panic disorder at some time in their lives.

Where to Find Help The California Medical Association (CMA) has a wellness initiative (CMA Wellness) seeking to meet the need of physician’s challenge at the organizational and systemic level while providing innovative resources to help physicians prevent or address burnout. Learn more and sign up to receive news and announcements by emailing CMAwellness@cmadocs.org. Initiatives include: CMA Wellness Programs – (https://www.cmadocs.org/wellness) Care 4 Caregivers Now (Peer coaching & volunteering) (www.cmadocs.org/wellness/care4caregivers) CMA Wellness Leadership Academy created by CMA Wellness under the lead of David C. Logan, Ph.D., CEO of CMA Wellness. The academy designed to train clinician leaders at all organizational levels – particularly physicians - help clinician leaders obtain higher levels of professional fulfillment and wellness to benefit themselves and their care teams. Contact Dr. Logan at dlogan@wellphysicianca.org or http://www.cmadocs.org/wellness. The American Medical Association (AMA) has a range of resources available online. They have been working tirelessly to provide the resources and support that can ease the stress of this unprecedented time.” These tools include and can be found at: (https://www.ama-assn.org/delivering-care/public-health/managing-mental-health-during-covid-19) The AMA also provides free, easy-to-use online resources, quick tips on implementing practice improvement strategies and exclusive insights into how other physicians handle burnout (https://www.ama-assn.org/amaone/equipping-physicians-manage-burnout) The Physician Support Line features volunteer psychiatrists offering free and confidential counseling to physicians and medical students at 1-888-409-0142. Also, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-TALK) offers free, confidential support on a 24/7/365 basis to anyone of any age. There are also local Wellness resources for my fellow physicians located on the Central Coast of California: There are also local Wellness resources for the California Central Coast Community through: Sansum Clinic Cottage Hospital Dignity Health offers a Community Wellness Program

Physician Health & Wellness in the Era of COVID-19: Better Days Ahead – the Rollout of Vaccines

As I began writing this next installment on the series, “Physician Health & Wellness in the Era of COVID-19” I was struck by how much had changed in the last 6 months regarding COVID-19.  Based

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Physician Health & Wellness in the Era of COVID-19: Resources for Preventing Physician Stress & Burnout

James Lake, M.D., wrote in a June 2020 article in the Psychiatric Times on “4 Pillars of Good Mental Health.”  Dr. Lake states, “It is of utmost importance to focus on improving lifestyle factors, which

Flowers in basket

The History of Wellness

Though considered by many a newer concept, the tenets of wellness date back to antiquity.  Long before recorded history, human drive for survival and exposure to the ubiquity of physical suffering and death must have elicited

Physician Wellness in America

Physician Wellness in America

“Healthy citizens are the greatest asset any country can have.” -Sir Winston Churchill. The issue of physician wellness has grown immensely in importance over the last decade or more, and with the COVID-19 pandemic still

Wellness Action Item: Exercise

Wellness Action Item: Exercise

Whether you are an experienced gym enthusiast, a runner or active in a healthy aerobic sport, there is no single act that one can commit to than voluntary physical exercise in support of personal health

Physician Health & Wellness in the Era of COVID-19: Resources for Preventing Physician Stress & Burnout

Physician Health & Wellness in the Era of COVID-19: Resources for Preventing Physician Stress & Burnout

“Wellness is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”  -WHO James Lake, M.D., wrote in a June 2020 article in the Psychiatric Times on

Physician Health & Wellness in the Era of COVID-19: “If not now, when?”

Physician Health & Wellness in the Era of COVID-19: “If not now, when?”

It’s been a year.  A whole year.  On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization formally declared COVID-19 a world pandemic.  Now, more than a year later, we are still in the midst of the