I saw that on TV, and I got jealous because I asked myself how often, at the end of my day as I was leaving the emergency department, did I make that move, did I feel and say, “Yes, today was why I became an emergency physician.” More often, my expression was one of relief, “Thank goodness that shift is over.” I started thinking that if 75 percent of the time I did not feel fulfilled and thankful for my day, something was wrong.

In recent published studies, emergency physicians outpace all other physicians in the rate of burnout.^1,2 We practice medicine in a highly unpredictable environment with patients and families who did not expect to need our services and who themselves are placed in a bewildering, highly stressful environment. No wonder emergency physicians have difficulty handling all that comes our way.

ACEP is the first national medical specialty to focus on the well-being of its members by creating an Emergency Medicine Wellness Week. We hope to do this annually as a way to remind ourselves that there are steps we can take to remain healthy and connected to what is important. I invite you to participate and lead ACEP in becoming a trailblazer in the house of medicine in preventing burnout, dealing with it when it occurs, and promoting well-being among ourselves and our colleagues.

Dr. Kaplan is President of ACEP, director of the patient experience for CEP America in Emeryville, California, and a practicing clinician in the emergency department at Marin General Hospital in Greenbrae, California.