What Do Doctors Find Meaningful about Their Work?
Authors: Carol R. Horowitz, Anthony L. Suchman, William T. Branch, Richard M. Frankel
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2003)

Medical Writings6 May 2003What Do Doctors Find Meaningful about Their Work?Carol R. Horowitz, MD, MPH, Anthony L. Suchman, MD, William T. Branch Jr., MD, and Richard M. Frankel, PhDCarol R. Horowitz, MD, MPHFrom Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York; Rochester, New York; Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia; Regenstrief Institute, Indianapolis, Indiana., Anthony L. Suchman, MDFrom Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York; Rochester, New York; Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia; Regenstrief Institute, Indianapolis, Indiana., William T. Branch Jr., MDFrom Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York; Rochester, New York; Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia; Regenstrief Institute, Indianapolis, Indiana., and Richard M. Frankel, PhDFrom Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York; Rochester, New York; Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia; Regenstrief Institute, Indianapolis, Indiana.Author, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-138-9-200305060-00028 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Although medical practice has always been difficult and the risk for burnout close at hand, most practitioners have found that the joys and satisfaction of their work have prevailed over the challenges, enabling them to sustain a lifelong commitment to service. Thirteen years ago, we began to conduct workshops to help practitioners reflect on their own experiences in practice and discover and explicitly identify what it is about the practice of medicine that is meaningful to them. We believed that with a clear understanding of what nourished and sustained them, clinicians could attend more consciously and intentionally to enhancing that ...References1. Clever LH. Some things have not changed. Ann Intern Med. 2000;132:85-9. [PMID: 10627257] LinkGoogle Scholar2. Souba WW. Academic medicine and the search for meaning and purpose. Acad Med. 2002;77:139-44. [PMID: 11841973] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Marquis J. Doctors who lose patience. Los Angeles Times. 3 March 1999. Google Scholar4. Kassirer JP. Doctor discontent [Editorial]. N Engl J Med. 1998;339:1543-5. [PMID: 9819454] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Bates AS, Harris LE, Tierney WM, Wolinsky FD. Dimensions and correlates of physician work satisfaction in a midwestern city. Med Care. 1998;36:610-7. [PMID: 9544600] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar6. Mawardi BH. Satisfactions, dissatisfactions, and causes of stress in medical practice. JAMA. 1979;241:1483-6. [PMID: 430687] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar7. 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[PMID: 8135923] LinkGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York; Rochester, New York; Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia; Regenstrief Institute, Indianapolis, Indiana.Disclaimer: The conclusions, views, and opinions expressed herein are the authors' and do not necessarily reflect those of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation or the authors' affiliate medical centers and universities.Acknowledgments: The authors thank Lorna A. Rhodes for her insights and Dale Matthews and Jamie Kerr for their contributions.Grant Support: At the time the research was conducted, Dr. Horowitz was a fellow in the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program.Disclosures: None disclosed.Corresponding Author: Carol R. Horowitz, MD, MPH, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Box 1077, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029; e-mail, Carol.[email protected]org.Current Author Addresses: Dr. Horowitz: Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Box 1077, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029.Dr. Suchman: 42 Audobon Street, Rochester, NY 14610.Dr. Branch: Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, 1525 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30322.Dr. Frankel: Regenstrief Institute, 1050 Wishard Boulevard, Indianapolis, IN 46202. 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