Debra Shute

Physicians are human. Medicine is a career—not a lifelong vow of self-sacrifice. Yes, for some, it may feel like a calling. But let’s be clear: Choosing medicine doesn’t mean surrendering your identity forever. Times have changed. Our mindset must, too. Working part-time, seeking balance, or transitioning into leadership, education, or non-clinical roles is not a betrayal of the profession. It’s growth. Yet these choices are too often dismissed as abandonment.

In recent years, an alarming trend has emerged within the health care system, one that is eroding the very backbone of medical care delivery: the physician. What once were rules and regulations designed to protect and elevate the standard of medical care are increasingly being exploited by medical authorities as a tool to extort, reprimand, and harass physicians.

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes! Palliative care physician and author Alen Voskanian discusses his article, “Discover the secrets to regaining joy in medicine,” based on an excerpt from his book. Drawing from his personal experience with burnout where he felt isolated and like a failure within the demanding medical industry, Alen strongly emphasizes that burnout is a common result of a broken health care system, not an individual failing.