Resource Center

Physicians work in extremely demanding and stressful environments. While this is acknowledged on the surface, not enough progress has been made to provide physicians the support or help they need in addressing their own mental health or the risk factors associated with suicide in physicians. While the culture surrounding physician health is changing by reducing the stigma of mental health conditions and putting policies in place to help physicians get the medical care they need, more needs to be done to protect our physicians.  The risk factors for suicide in the medical profession are incredibly high. Long hours of treating […]

COVID variants have presented many challenges for our medical system. In addition to coping with unknown transmission methods and rates as well as varying symptoms over the years, protecting our community from pandemic levels of disease becomes a paramount focus despite the limited information initially at hand of a new variant. All of this continues to put strain on our doctors, nurses, and other healthcare providers. Sometimes this strain becomes so great that our medical professionals become unable to work due to a disabling condition. COVID has disabled doctors in many ways. Some medical professionals suffer due to exposure to […]

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 […]

It has long been acknowledged that medical professionals are under an immense amount of pressure and experience high levels of stress in their careers. A career in medicine takes not only an incredible toll on the physical health of physicians but on their mental health as well. Dealing with patients’ health and life-and-death situations truly puts cognitive and emotional strain on physicians and only compounds over time. Often, doctors and other healthcare providers put their own care off, focusing on their patients’ needs rather than their own. This happens for a number of reasons, especially in regard to mental health […]

Mental health is an important component of overall health. However, many people hide their mental health impairments for fear of the stigma associated with these conditions. This is especially true in the medical profession. Doctors often ignore their own suffering in order to maintain their medical careers and continue providing care for patients. This ultimately does more harm than good, as physicians suffer through depression, anxiety disorders, PTSD, physician burnout, and a variety of other mental health conditions that inhibit physicians’ ability to provide adequate patient care and meet the duties of their profession.  As mentioned, a primary concern that […]

Cancer of any kind can be a scary diagnosis. Even doctors facing a cancer diagnosis can have fear about what this means for their health, their life, and their careers. Breast cancer is disrupting to medical careers, with treatment taking sufferers out of the workforce while undergoing a host of treatments.  Though it is more common for women to be diagnosed with breast cancer, men can still suffer from this disease. Approximately 300,000 people in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023, with just shy of 3,000 of those people being men. Throughout diagnosis and treatment, […]

Dementia is a challenging disease to address. This is especially true for doctors for a number of reasons. Not only is dementia a disease that can be difficult to identify but there is still a stigma around any type of mental or cognitive impairments, especially in careers that have a high level of education and training required. While the medical community is making strides toward eliminating this stigma, there is still progress to be made.  Unfortunately, the complexity of diagnosing dementia along with the stigma of psychiatric and psychological conditions creates problems when it comes to seeking disability insurance benefits. […]

Many professionals ensure they have disability insurance coverage when they start a new job. With several employer benefits being set for confirmation and renewal, many employees do not conduct a thorough review of their coverage annually despite changing needs over time. It is a good idea to review your policies  Another option should your employer-offered disability insurance policies not meet your needs, is to purchase your own policies outside the group plan. There are a number of advantages to having an individual disability insurance policy, notably being able to take your policy with you should you change jobs as well […]

Just as in previous years, there seems to be an increase in COVID cases and hospitalizations as we end our summer. Predictions for the fall and winter seasons indicate we should expect another surge of COVID-19 cases in the United States. While we have learned much about COVID-19 treatments and prognosis, this disease remains a threat to our medical community and community at large. Despite having available prevention protocols and vaccines to halt the spread of COVID-19, we are still very vulnerable to this disease. Treatment for Covid has helped alleviate some symptoms, but there is still much to learn […]

Millions of Americans suffer from back pain every year. From short-term episodes to chronic suffering from back pain, this is an ongoing problem in terms of our population’s physical and economic health. The economic cost of lost wages and treating back pain and injuries is high. Those who suffer from disabling back pain experience the cost of treatment, lost income, and potential career loss. Short-term and long-term disability insurance benefits offer replacement income when medical professionals cannot continue working in their medical careers due to disabling back pain. That said, physicians who are suffering from a disabling back condition and […]