We're ringing in the first episode of this podcast with my good friend, Dr. Karen Dorn! We've known each other for over 30 years, since our first year at the University of Minnesota Medical School and we've witness each other grow over the years.

Karen is an adult hospitalist in Minneapolis and during the pandemic, she was in ICU watching critically ill patient pass away in record numbers, with a single week reaching 70% mortality rate. Uniquely, the exhaustion didn't break Karen, rather it was patient distrust. When people started coming in sick, refusing vaccines, demanding invermectin and other things they saw online, doubting everything she had to offer, that's when the burnout settled in. It dug deep into her work and into other aspects of her life.

In this episode, we explore Karen's burnout, and I also share parts of my story, including the loss of my brother Bill, who was tragically murdered weeks before I began the podcast. This episode is more personal than others, but I hope this episode offer people some reprise in their lives.

Takeaways:

• Burnout doesn't always stay at work.

• It was the loss of patient trust, not the brutal hours, that finally broke her.

• Not every burnout recovery has to look like a formal intervention.

• When you're deep enough in burnout, the tools you've built can become inaccessible.

Want your burnout story featured on the show? Email us at it hello@stillpracticingpod.com for a chance to be read on an upcoming episode.

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Chapters: 0:00 - Intro 3:04 - Early Careers in Medicine 9:47 - Pandemic Impacts 26:40 - Hitting Rock Bottom & Seeking Help 38:33 - Rediscovering Joy in Medicine 43:29 - What Fortifies Us Outside of Work

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