Stress and Burnout Among Surgeons

These statistics indicate that a substantial number of colleagues are struggling with personal and professional distress at a level that should be of concern to all surgeons.

Abstract

Training for and practicing surgery are stressful endeavors. 1-4 Studies 5-11 involving national samples of surgeons from surgical subspecialty societies and graduates of surgical training programs suggest that burnout rates among surgeons range from 30% to 38%. These statistics indicate that a substantial number of our colleagues are struggling with personal and professional distress at a level that should be of concern to all surgeons.