Lisa Merlo, writing in a recent issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association:

At the heart of excellent medical treatment is the physician who provides competent, compassionate care. So, rather than treating physicians as dispensable and teaching them to put themselves, their health, and their well-being last, we must teach medical students, residents, and practicing physicians that they have a responsibility to maintain their physical and mental health and to reach out to colleagues who appear to be struggling. Physicians already face pressure to work harder, faster, and longer on a daily basis. This burden begins during medical school and continues well into practice, with spoken and unspoken directives to put patients first; to avoid burdening colleagues; to pick up the slack for team members; to forego vacations; to come to work even when physically ill. But the evidence clearly demonstrates that this way of life is not sustainable, and it does not promote excellence in the practice of medicine. Ironically, when a physician neglects her own well-being, she does a disservice to her patients; when he ignores his own distress, he places undue burden on his colleagues to compensate for mistakes. Yet the recent focus on improving patient safety by targeting medical errors—though extremely important—has largely ignored this vital underlying contributor to quality of patient care.

The time has come to finally and emphatically demand that physicians deserve humane expectations in training and practice and have a right to opportunities for self-care. Taking appropriate breaks or vacations, spending time in mindful meditation, completing self-help interventions, sharing personal/professional struggles with colleagues, and seeking necessary medical and mental health treatment should be viewed as a marker of professionalism, not a sign of weakness.