FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 11, 2019
UC San Francisco
Jennifer O’Brien, Asst. Vice Chancellor/Public Affairs
Source: Brandy Ramos Nikaido, Director of Media Relations and Public Affairs, UCSF Fresno
Cell: (559) 313-6539 Email: [email protected]
UCSF Fresno
Medical Education Program
115 N. Fresno Street
Fresno, CA 93701
(559) 499-6400
UCSF Fresno Brings National Expert to Fresno to Promote Physician Wellness, Invites Local Health Care Providers to Participate
Media Note: Dike Drummond, MD, CEO of TheHappyMD.com, will be available for interviews from 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. on March 20 at UCSF Fresno to discuss the importance of physician wellness and preventing burnout both of which effect patient outcomes.
FRESNO – More than three-quarters (78%) of physicians reported feeling burned out, according to The Physicians Foundation’s 2018 Survey of America’s Physicians. Physician burnout is defined as long-term job stress that doesn’t go away and results in feeling overwhelmed and worn out. The physician suicide rate is even more alarming. About one physician a day dies by suicide – more than twice that of the general public.
“Happy doctors are vital to improved patient outcomes,” said Michael W. Peterson, MD, associate dean at UCSF Fresno. “Physician wellness is a priority at UCSF Fresno and it’s important to our community. In fact, it’s such a critical issue that we are extending resources to other local physicians and health care providers so they have access to the information and means to prevent burnout, too.”
The San Joaquin Valley can’t afford to lose physicians due to burnout. There are 133 active physicians (excluding medical residents) per 100,000 population compared with the state rate of 222 active physicians per 100,000 population, according to a Healthforce Center at UCSF report.
A number of factors contribute to physician burnout, including more time spent on non-clinical paperwork, loss of clinical autonomy and less time available to spend with new patients. Physician burnout impacts not only health care providers and their families but also the patients they care for.
To help lower stress levels and encourage a more balanced life among physicians and local allied health care providers, UCSF Fresno will host national expert Dike Drummond, MD, CEO of TheHappyMd.com on Wednesday, March 20. Dr. Drummond will present “The Burnout Proof” Live Workshop for physicians and other health care professionals at three different times 7:30 a.m., noon and 6 p.m. at the UCSF Fresno Center for Medical Education and Research at 155 N. Fresno St. in downtown Fresno.
Dr. Drummond is a Mayo Clinic-trained family doctor and executive coach. TheHappyMD.com website has more than 13,000 subscribers in 63 different counties. Dr. Drummond has worked with nearly 170 organizations to train more than 30,000 physicians and 100 physician wellness champions to lead the wellness movement in their organizations.
“Many doctors graduate from their residency program with a big hole in their education around how to recognize and prevent burnout,” said Dr. Drummond. “You have to be able to recognize the beast before you can defend yourself. This event will complete your medical education and give you the tools for a personal burnout prevention strategy.”
All local physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, UCSF faculty, fellows, residents, medical students and staff members at UCSF Fresno, and spouses and significant others are invited to register and attend the March 20 event at UCSF Fresno. Registration is required. The noon workshop is full. Register at: https://ucsffresno.eventbrite.com
About UCSF Fresno: UCSF Fresno Medical Education Program is a branch campus of UCSF, the leading institution dedicated exclusively to the health sciences. Established in 1975, UCSF Fresno is focused on improving health in California’s San Joaquin Valley through excellence in teaching and patient care, innovative clinical research and community partnerships. UCSF Fresno is the largest physician-training program between Sacramento and Los Angeles – training more than 300 physicians and 300 rotating medical students each year. Nearly 700 UCSF core and volunteer faculty at UCSF Fresno care for thousands of patients annually and train the next generation of outstanding clinicians and patient advocates. Fifty percent of the physicians trained at UCSF Fresno stay in the Valley to provide UCSF care. In addition, UCSF Fresno helps prepare middle, high school and college students for careers in health and medicine through a variety of pipeline programs. Please visit www.fresno.ucsf.edu
About UCSF: UC San Francisco (UCSF) is a leading university dedicated to promoting health worldwide through advanced biomedical research, graduate-level education in the life sciences and health professions, and excellence in patient care. It includes top-ranked graduate schools of dentistry, medicine, nursing and pharmacy; a graduate division with nationally renowned programs in basic, biomedical, translational and population sciences; and a preeminent biomedical research enterprise. It also includes UCSF Health, which comprises three top-ranked hospitals, UCSF Medical Center and UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals in San Francisco and Oakland, and other partner and affiliated hospitals and healthcare providers throughout the Bay Area. UCSF also encompasses a branch campus in Fresno. Please visit www.ucsf.edu/news.
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