Physician Burnout - An Opportunity?

On our TAP-IN weblog, we recently posted an article about physicians plans to retire early and/or cut back on their practice hours.

The article sites a survey by the Physician Foundation in which over half of physicians surveyed plan on cutting back or retiring. 90 percent said they spent more time on non-clinical paperwork, and 2/3 say this has taken them away from patient care.

This, I believe, presents an opportunity for free clinics in recruting volunteer physicians. Again and again, when we interview seasoned health care professionals on why they volunteer, we consistently hear that a free clinic environment allows them to practice medicine "the way they thought it would be" when they left medical school - taking care of patients, without all the paperwork and practice management headaches.

This needs to be a point of emphasis in your physician recruiting - for physicians to 'come back' to practicing the way they envisioned it, serving a group of patients that need you, and are grateful for you...

Look at your marketing materials on volunteer recruitment, and your process - make sure this feature is a prominent point of emphasis.

(here's the link: http://tap-in.typepad.com/tapin_weblog/2008/11/primary-care-doctors-planning-to-quit-or-cut-back.html )