The incidence of burnout among physicians and other health professionals is on the rise in the United States and has become an increasingly discussed topic. Burnout is a psychological response that may be experienced by those exposed to chronic stress in the health care practice environment, and it may include overwhelming exhaustion, feelings of cynicism and detachment from work and a sense of ineffectiveness and lack of accomplishment.

Factors contributing to burnout include excessive caseloads, negative workplace culture, poor work-life balance, or perceived lack of autonomy in one's work.

Burnout among physicians, physician assistants and others may lead to unprofessional behavior and surgical or diagnostic medical errors, while undermining the bond of trust between health care providers and patients. It also leads to low levels of career satisfaction and diminishes work-life balance. An alarming result of burnout at its most extreme is the disproportionate (relative to the general population) levels of suicide in recent years by physicians, medical residents and medical students.

This special Continuing Medical Education (CME) edition of the Journal of Medical Regulation offers content intended to raise awareness and understanding of this important issue in health care.

The Federation of State Medical Boards is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The Federation of State Medical Boards designates this enduring material activity for a maximum of 2 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in this activity.

This educational activity has been developed to address the educational needs of physicians and physician assistants.

There was no commercial support for this CME activity.

In accordance with the ACCME Standards for Commercial Support and policy of the Federation of State Medical Boards, all individuals with control over CME content (including but not limited to staff, planners, reviewers and authors) must disclose whether or not they have any relevant financial relationship(s) to learners prior to the start of the activity. The following faculty report that they have relevant financial relationships to disclose: Paul Larson, consultant, Federation of State Medical Boards; and Diane Hoffman, JD, consultant, Daily Body Restore — Probiotic. All other authors, experts, reviewers, and staff have no relevant financial interests or relationships to disclose.

Release Date: July 20, 2018

Expiration Date: June 30, 2021

This educational activity consists of the four articles, a post-test, and evaluation questions.

To receive CME credit, participants must:

  1. Review the learning objectives and read the four articles as published.

  2. Log-in and register for the CME activity at www.surveymonkey.com/r/JMR0718 to complete and submit the online post-test and evaluation.

  3. Answer 70% of the post-test questions correctly to earn CME credit. Up to three attempts are allowed to successfully complete the post-test online.

  4. Upon successful completion of the post-test and evaluation, learners should allow 2–3 weeks for a certificate to arrive via the preferred email address provided.