A recent study in The Lancet found nearly half of female U.S. health care workers — 49.4% — experienced burnout, compared to 41.5% of men. Also more common among women was self-reported prevalence of some mental health issues, with 39.3% of women reporting experiencing anxiety and depression, compared with 26.4% of men. On the flip side, more men — 55.5% — said they felt valued by their organizations, compared with 45.9% of women.
“I emphasize to all of my students that if they are feeling burned out, it is not a failure on their part, but due to a system that many of us are working on trying to change,” said Dr. Shikha Jain, a board-certified hematology and oncology physician and assistant professor of medicine at the University of Illinois Cancer Center in Chicago. “Hospitals and institutions must start valuing their health care workers as more than just cogs in a wheel.”
