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Academic hospitalists play an integral role in the day-to-day care of hospitalized patients, education and research. They are well-positioned to engage in scholarly and research activities and inform clinical practice. Hospital medicine also offers a compelling career path for those seeking to maintain a broad clinical focus while also pursuing opportunities in quality improvement (QI), clinical research, and medical education (MedEd) projects. Participation in these endeavors not only foster scholarly growth but also enhances career satisfaction for hospitalists. Therefore, there is a need to explore and implement feasible strategies to equip hospitalists with the knowledge and resources necessary to generate scholarship and promote academic growth within the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Physician burnout has been alarmingly high, particularly among general internal medicine, which displays some of the highest rates. A recent study of academic hospitalists reported a higher level of burnout (62%) than the rates found in similar studies, but with agreement about factors leading to burnout, consequences of burnout, and importance of steps to prevent burnout. This study seeks to expand upon these results by investigating the impact of COVID-19 on burnout among hospitalists and uncovering the perspectives of frontline clinicians to formulate effective mitigation strategies., Methods: Academic hospitalists were recruited to participate in a series of focus group interviews. The questions focused on contributors to burnout, the impact of COVID-19, and strategies to improve wellness and reduce burnout. The focus groups were audio-recorded, transcribed, and coded for emergent themes using Taguette, an open-source qualitative data analysis software., Results: Burnout-inducing themes included workload, bureaucratic hurdles, and lack of control. COVID-19-specific themes included fear of exposing family and social isolation. The most common mitigation strategy was to increase social interactions to foster a sense of community. Additional solutions included adhering to a census cap of patients, streamlining clinical work, and providing avenues for two-way communication between leadership and clinicians to share concerns and elicit feedback., Conclusions: Streamlining clinical work allows more time for patient care. Enhancing community and fostering collaboration in decision-making allows clinicians to feel more empowered. A crucial first step to combat burnout is to encourage a work environment that values clinician well-being and proactively works to increase job satisfaction., (Copyright© Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and The Medical College of Wisconsin, Inc.)

Introduction: There is a paucity of data on burnout among academic hospitalists in Wisconsin., Objective/methods: To evaluate perceptions on burnout among academic hospitalists at an academic center in Wisconsin, a survey was distributed to academic hospitalists at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Questions addressed job satisfaction, factors contributing to burnout and its consequences, and various preventive steps. A section was included for respondents to provide any additional comments., Results: Out of 52 academic hospitalists surveyed, 43 (83%) responded. Sixty-two percent of participants reported feeling burnout. Burnout rates did not differ by gender (males vs females, 58% vs 73%, respectively; P   = 0.65), career length as a hospitalist ( P  = 0.28), or satisfaction as a hospitalist ( P  = 0.11). High patient census (94%) and unrealistic workload (83%) were the most commonly cited factors for burnout. Possible consequences of burnout included lack of enthusiasm (95%) and mental exhaustion (93%). A majority of respondents (81%) indicated that high clinical demands interfered with their ability to teach medical students. Improving the structure of work (88%) and incorporating respect, care, and compassion as a group culture (88%) were the most common themes reported to prevent burnout., Conclusion: This study shows a high prevalence of burnout among academic hospitalists and highlights various opportunities to reduce burnout risk., (Copyright© Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and The Medical College of Wisconsin, Inc.)