Factors Associated with Burnout and Frustration among Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery Fellows

Alfredo J Jijon; Aakriti R Carrubba; Christopher C Destephano; Michael G Heckman; Patrick W Johnson; Tri A Dinh

doi:10.1016/j.jmig.2020.03.004

Factors Associated with Burnout and Frustration among Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery Fellows

J Minim Invasive Gynecol. 2021 Jan;28(1):75-81. doi: 10.1016/j.jmig.2020.03.004. Epub 2020 Mar 28.

Authors

Alfredo J Jijon¹, Aakriti R Carrubba², Christopher C Destephano², Michael G Heckman³, Patrick W Johnson³, Tri A Dinh²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Gynecologic Surgery (Drs. Jijon, Carrubba, Destephano, and Dinh), Mayo Clinic Florida, Jacksonville, Florida. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Department of Gynecologic Surgery (Drs. Jijon, Carrubba, Destephano, and Dinh), Mayo Clinic Florida, Jacksonville, Florida.
³ Division of Biomedical Statistics and Informatics (Mr. Heckman and Mr. Johnson), Mayo Clinic Florida, Jacksonville, Florida.

PMID: 32234351
DOI: 10.1016/j.jmig.2020.03.004

Abstract

Study objective: Determine the prevalence of burnout and frustration among participants currently completing a fellowship in minimally invasive gynecologic surgery (FMIGS).

Design: Cross-sectional survey.

Setting: An anonymous survey was distributed to fellows in November 2018.

Participants: Current FMIGS fellows.

Interventions: Not applicable.

Measurements and main results: A total of 57 of 83 (67.7%) FMIGS participants in American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists-accredited programs completed a survey regarding fellowship characteristics and experiences. Overall, 40 participants (70.2%) indicated that they were satisfied with their fellowship program experience. There were 33 participants (57.9%) who reported burnout, and 38 participants (66.7%) had experienced anxiety, depression, or extreme fatigue during the last month. Of those who reported burnout, 26 (76.5%) reported that they did not receive support from their fellowship program. Participants who experienced burnout were more likely to be in their second year (p = .003), spent less time per week doing scholarly activities (p = .048), and were less satisfied with their fellowship experience (p <.001). Participants who experienced anxiety, depression, or extreme fatigue had more cofellows in their program (p = .031), worked on average more hours per week (p = .020), and were more often required to practice obstetrics in their fellowship (p = .022).

Conclusion: Burnout symptoms are common among physicians across multiple specialties. Our findings suggest that this issue is prevalent among FMIGS participants. In addition, there is a lack of access to emotional and psychologic support programs for fellows experiencing burnout. We hope that this study will prompt attention to this important topic by both individual programs and American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists as a society to increase awareness and access to resources and promote wellness for fellows.

Keywords: AAGL; Education satisfaction; Fellowship training.

MeSH terms

Burnout, Professional* / epidemiology
Burnout, Professional* / etiology
Cross-Sectional Studies
Fellowships and Scholarships / statistics & numerical data
Female
Frustration*
Gynecologic Surgical Procedures* / psychology
Gynecologic Surgical Procedures* / statistics & numerical data
Humans
Internship and Residency* / statistics & numerical data
Job Satisfaction
Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures* / statistics & numerical data
Obstetrics / statistics & numerical data
Physicians / psychology
Physicians / statistics & numerical data
Risk Factors
Socioeconomic Factors
Surgeons* / psychology
Surgeons* / statistics & numerical data
Surveys and Questionnaires
United States / epidemiology