The Burnout Generation

Abstract

Millennials – often coined the “Burnout Generation” – have initiated a conversation about the barriers to well-balanced living and the burnout these frequently engender (Can't Even: How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation. 2020). This conversation has produced a mixed reaction among physicians, with differing perceptions often following generational lines. Burnout has been heavily researched in recent years, with several studies showing that younger employees are at higher risk for developing burnout. Young physicians have distinct expectations and goals for work-life balance (BJGP Open 2019;3:bjgpopen18X101637; Acad Psychiatry 2020;44:388-93; asamonitor.pub/3iRIU6Q). The work environment has markedly changed in the last 50 years, with significant growth in administration, the development of the electronic medical record, and a shifting focus on efficiency and quality (N Engl J Med 2020;382:2485-7). Burnout may feel different for younger physicians compared to their older colleagues in both private practice and academic settings, and generational differences have been well-recognized as drivers of dissonance in the workplace. Understanding these differences and addressing systemic and individual solutions to burnout are imperative in preventing young physicians from leaving the medical workforce.