A 5-point to-do list for radiology leaders to begin addressing burnout

Burnout has become a pervasive ongoing concern for leaders in radiology, and two noted experts in the field have a to-do list to help them address it.

One recent survey estimated that nearly half of radiologists in private practice are feeling burned out, with off-hours work being a key contributor. Another study found that radiologists’ happiness outside of the workplace has plummeted since the pandemic, and burnout is one likely factor.

Such work-related stress has become “rampant” among radiologists working in the U.S., Frank J. Lexa, MD, MBA, and Jay R. Parikh, MD, wrote March 11 in JACR. Imaging leaders know this is an issue, too, with 77% identifying burnout as a significant problem, but only 19% saying they had a mechanism to address it, another survey found.

“That mismatch suggests that the majority of leaders who know that they have a problem in this sector are not doing and/or are unable to do much of anything to either stop it or fix it,” Lexa (chief medical officer of the ACR’s Radiology Leadership Institute) and Parikh (division wellness lead, Department of Breast Imaging, at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center) wrote Saturday.

To help others navigate this issue, the two authors offer a five-point to-do list to begin addressing burnout in their organization:

1. Serve as a role model for those you lead

“While some leaders may not be great role models and many others would argue that that isn’t part of the job, common sense as well as scientific studies argue otherwise,” the authors advised. “Members of organizations do pay attention to the leader’s behavior and that affects how they view their workplace.”

2. Encourage training to build resilience, sense of purpose

“A diminished … sense of purpose and frustration with lack of accomplishment are important factors in causing both burnout as well as its consequences in challenging work environments,” Lexa and Parikh noted.

3. Examine your own behaviors and their impact on culture

“Psychological safety within an organization and an individual’s being heard within a group are both very important, yet often not appreciated factors,” the authors wrote.

4. Encourage positive individual choices

“There is synergy in combining individual and organizational changes. One without the other is much less likely to work in the long run.”

5. Work to be a better leader

“Increased stress and burnout occur if people feel helpless and unheard. Leaders should solicit input and constructive solutions from their faculty and/or colleagues,” the authors advised.

Lexa and Parikh concluded by urging radiology leaders to think differently about this problem and how to finally tame it.

“While things like yoga, herbal tea and bicycling may help with job stress and burnout, the time is overdue for deeper thinking and more robust solutions to the current crisis,” they closed the piece. “Leaders in U.S. radiology have the choice of being the solution to burnout instead of being the cause.”

Read the rest of their advice in the Journal of the American College of Radiology below.