Physician Wellness
Health and Wellness Partner
MSDC joins the American Medical Association and the entire House of Medicine in recognizing the epidemic of burnout in healthcare professionals. In particular, MSDC remains dedicated to providing resources and support to District physicians in their struggle against burnout. For decades, MSDC has provided support and advocacy for those physicians battling addiction. MSDC has officially launched The Healthy Physician Program to advance physician wellness.
What is the Healthy Physician Program?
The Healthy Physician Program is MSDC's comprehensive physician wellness program that provides resources and templates to address moral injury and burnout. MSDC recognizes that burnout manifests in many forms, and it aims to create a program with a wide range of resources including coaching, counselling, networking, and best practice templates. The program is open to all physicians and is supported by physician organizations, foundations, and health systems.
What kind of resources will the Healthy Physician Program provide?
Over time, the program will include the following components: physician coaching (now available), counselling services (now available), networking events (now available), like-minded groups (now available), best practice templates for practices, and model policies.
What kind of wellness professionals will MSDC offer?
Initially, MSDC will offer certified coaches and licensed psychologists. In the years to come, MSDC will expand its wellness roster to more types of wellness professionals. Comparison of Helping Professions.
What kinds of services will MSDC wellness professionals offer?
MSDC's wellness professionals can address professional needs (leadership development, career coaching, workplace concerns, burnout) and professional needs (relationship discussions, identity concerns, work-life balance).
If I speak with one of the wellness professionals as part of the program, do I need to report it to the Board of Medicine?
No, the program is not a medical treatment or medical diagnosis program. The program offers wellbeing and therapeutic services that do not need to be reported to the Board.
Does the Healthy Physician Program help physicians with addictions?
MSDC recommends physicians with addiction concerns contact the MSDC Physician Health Program.
Click the plus next to each topic below to expand it and learn more about how MSDC is addressing burnout.
Community
One of the best ways to rediscover your love of medicine is to reconnect with your colleagues. MSDC sections and communities are a great way to do that. Whether it is with Women in Medicine, Bright Young Docs, or a Washington Healthcare on Wednesdays webinar, we have opportunities for you to connect with your colleagues.
Learn more on our Events page, or check out WIM and BYD.
Lifecycle for Retirement Readiness session
Support
MSDC is offering members an opportunity to speak with a wellness professional to help address professional or personal issues driving burnout. Our list of professionals (seen here) span different specialties, experiences, and background. Speak with the ones that fit your needs, arrange an introductory appointment, and if they can assist you then MSDC will cover your initial visits.
Advocacy
DC Healthy Physicians Committee Members
| J. Desiree Pineda | MSDC Immediate Past President |
| Kaylan Baban | George Washington University Hospital |
| David Bowman | Howard University Hospital |
| Laurie Duncan | MSDC Executive Committee // Physician Health Program |
| Daniel Marchalik | MedStar Health |
| Felicea Patel | Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group |
| Laura Sander | Sibley Memorial Hospital |
| Theresa Stone | MedStar Health |
| Dock Winston | Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group |
MSDC Past President Raymond Tu, MD: The Quadruple Aim - Radiologists and Physicians in the Center
The “Quadruple Aim” has recently gained attention as health care stakeholders have identified growing challenges to physician experience and burnout. Physician suicide is two-fold higher than the general population, and more common with older physicians. [1] Physician resilience, engagement, and work-life balance are recent additions to the patient-focused triple aim of patient access to care, excellent patient experience, and cost containment: don’t waste resources, do good and respect the patient. [2] Though less apparent then facing the sharp end of the medical error arrow, the need for a creative and healthy provider environment should be considered essential to a successful physician experience.
Read the entire article in the American Society of Neuroradiology eNews here.
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Support Your Colleagues
Do you want to help support your fellow physicians going through their own struggles with wellbeing? The Medical Society and Alliance Foundation (MSAF) has created a fund for physician wellbeing. Your generous gift allows MSDC and MSAF to continue supporting those physicians in most need.