A medical career as a surgeon is extremely demanding. After years of study in medical school, hopeful graduates spend many more years studying as surgical residents and undergoing intense training and occupational stress. This stress can lead to a number of medical conditions ranging from physical fatigue and exhaustion, injury or psychiatric and psychological impairments. While the medical community is raising awareness of these impediments to practicing medicine, more needs to be done to protect our surgeons.  As a community, we need to work together to ensure those taking care of our medical needs are not left to fend for […]

We hear about the consequences of substance use and abuse frequently. From news reports, television shows, podcasts, and anecdotal stories, the prevalence of substance use and abuse is difficult to avoid. Unfortunately, substance use can develop into something debilitating: Substance Use Disorder.  Substance Use Disorder, or SUD, is actually a neuropsychiatric disorder defined by the American Psychiatric Association as the recurrent use of a drug or alcohol that causes significant functional impairment, including the inability to fulfill responsibilities at work. For physicians this is extremely dangerous as impairments at work can affect patient safety and medical outcomes, possibly even resulting […]