The annual Postgraduate Medical Education (PGME) conference provides residents, trainees and interns with opportunities to learn from the industry’s best minds and practitioners. This year’s theme for the conference was Tawazun (balance) and saw experts discuss how to successfully juggle professional commitments with personal life.
For medical trainees, the demands of practice coupled with the drive to be successful in careers from the very start instils the idea that they should be working constantly. This often takes a toll on their physical and mental health as there is little time taken away from work and invested towards personal and recreational time. As a result, medical professionals are more susceptible to burnout early in their careers.
Burnout is classified under World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) as an occupational occurrence caused by chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.
A literature review was conducted by University of Minnesota’s department of surgery in which medical databases related to medical student and physician burnout, stress, depression, suicide, wellness and well-being between 2000 and 2016 were examined. The study found that all US medical students, physicians in training as well as practicing physicians are at a high risk of burnout with its prevalence exceeding 50 per cent.
A 2016 AKU study in Pakistan on stress reveals high levels of burnout among trainee doctors, findings of which are in sync with international literature. It further emphasises that efforts to improve the work environment of residents can considerably reduce levels of burnout.
The two-day conference consisted of think tanks and workshops to brainstorm struggles trainee physicians face. The panelists, representing AKU faculty and international attendees, shared their personal experiences and tips that helped them in their respective specialisations.
Speaking at the conference, Dean, Medical College, Dr Adil Haider talked about the priorities and choices physicians and medical trainees make during the course of their profession. “The best choices we make are the ones that help us head in the direction we want to go and are compatible with our goals,” he said. He also stressed the importance of actively seeking learning opportunities for self-growth and professional development and of prioritising decisions accordingly.
Keynote addresses on changes in medicine and clinical challenges were presented by Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy, professor of physics and mathematics at Forman Christian College, and Dr Farhat Moazzam, chairperson, Centre of Biomedical Ethics and Culture, Sindh Institute of Urology Transplantation, respectively. President Firoz Rasul and Provost Dr Carl Amrhein also spoke at the event.