I am a urological cancer surgeon married to a pediatric palliative care physician, and we have 3 teenage daughters. Although I did my best to juggle clinical/research productivity and work-life integration, I experienced burnout during the pandemic. With personal experience of burnout and several trainees and colleagues in medicine, I felt strongly about evaluating proactive strategies to address burnout within my sphere of influence. I underwent 200 hours of training to become a certified yoga teacher. Since February 2022, I have delivered breath work, yoga, and mindfulness classes to the San Antonio health care community. We have trained approximately 500 health care professionals in these classes.¹ Based on initial qualitative responses, I realized that breaking the silence around burnout is imperative, and the need for a proactive, incremental, systematic approach to address it at the regional and national levels is critical. We leveraged the support of the local community in San Antonio and created a tribe of wellness for health care professionals. Through personal experience, I knew that the health care community faces intense pressure, stress, and neglect of wellness around the globe.² I applied for the AUA Leadership Program to change the status quo.

Why do we need to change the status quo? A recent U.S. survey of 2,440 physicians between December 2021 and January 2022 revealed that medical burnout has reached epidemic proportions; an overwhelming 63% of physicians reported burnout from chronic workplace stress as compared to 38% in 2020.³ Also, surgical specialties like urology suffer from high rates of burnout. Approximately 20% of physicians are planning to quit their clinical practice soon. A consistent decline in the number of urologists is already noted, with only 38% of all US counties having practicing urologists. In addition, a 46% reduction in urologists is predicted to occur by 2035.⁴ In addition to long work hours, high patient volumes, and administrative burdens faced by practicing urologists, there is an interplay with physically demanding unique ergonomic challenges in the operating room.⁵ The immediate implication of this situation is tremendous harm to health care infrastructure. Experts project a deficit of over 3 million medical employees, including 139,000 doctors, by 2033. Inaction to address burnout may result in health care professionals leaving to pursue other careers or retiring early, endangering the health care workforce supply. This will trigger the domino effect of overcrowded emergency rooms, poor-quality care, and a threat to patient safety. Failure to address physician burnout results in an annual direct financial impact of $4.6 billion to the U.S. health care system.⁶ Therefore, It is essential to address burnout proactively to improve patient outcomes and ensure the well-being of health care professionals.

The AUA Leadership Program will empower me with the opportunity to develop core competencies and strategic decision-making skills essential for effective regional and national leadership.

By collaborating with colleagues from different sections of the AUA, I hope to develop a systematic approach toward moving the path forward, from preventing burnout to promoting wellness in the urological community. In addition, this course will allow us to collaborate with the policymakers on Capitol Hill, which is crucial in providing resources to manage stress and prioritize self-care. In addition, we can advocate for policy changes that support a healthier work-life balance. We should learn from the pandemic and establish a resilient health care system that benefits patients and providers through collaborative efforts.⁷ Such collaborative effort will advance the science of burnout and better prepare us for the future.