” I, myself, have felt beleaguered during night shifts in emergency care—where the mental load can quickly build. It’s an unspoken burden carried by many but rarely spoken aloud.”
1. Would you begin by saying something about your experience in medical school and what you have observed to date in your house surgency?
Med school has been as humbling as it’s been life-changing. In addition to learning anatomy and treatment protocols, it’s also instructed me in the emotional significance of sickness and healing. From my house surgency, I’ve cycled through wards where we tend to see high patient volumes, highly charged situations, and time-sensitive decisions. It’s been a learning experience, at the very least, but one that’s also sensitized me to the value of emotional balance and interpersonal acumen in patient care.
2. How frequently, during clinical rotations, have you found yourself experiencing emotional exhaustion, burnout, or stress among health care teams—yours included?
Near constantly. Whether doctors seeing 30-plus patients in one shift or nurses acting as family therapists, there’s a subtle fatigue that creeps in. Most seniors operate on autopilot, not out of apathy, but simply because they’re spread too thin. I, myself, have felt beleaguered during night shifts in emergency care—where the mental load can quickly build. It’s an unspoken burden carried by many but rarely spoken aloud.
3. How did your initial experience shape your perception of emotional intelligence as a key competency in public health and hospital practice?
Emotional intelligence, to me, is equally important as clinical ability. I’ve seen how a calm tone or a display of compassion could calm an angry patient’s family or enable a nurse to take a moment to collect herself in a tough case. It teaches you to read the room, put your own emotional response in check, and make empathetic decisions even when faced with chaos. It’s only served to solidify my conviction that medicine isn’t just the conquest of disease— it’s healing people.
4. Do you believe that existing conditions of medical training well prepare students to manage emotional and psychological problems in actual practice?
Not really. While our educational program is rigorous, there is not much formal focus on self-knowledge, emotional toughness, or mental well-being. We learn to identify depression but are rarely encouraged to see burnout in ourselves or others. Lack of time or space to consider emotional matters is part of the disconnect. That said, I do see a new generation of younger colleagues trying to change this culture.
5. What are the most prevalent reasons for burnout among medical and nursing staff—especially in public institutions?
Burnout is a multi-causal condition. High patient-to-providers ratios, bureaucracy, lack of adequate rest, and lack of adequate psychological support have a massive effect. In public hospitals, stressors are added to by infrastructure limitations and socio-economic problems that have a tendency to make care more emotionally taxing. Add to that the moral distress of not being able to do enough for your patients, and burnout is practically a certainty unless acted upon.
6. Did you ever observe the impact of secondary trauma or emotional exhaustion on the behavior, decision-making, or interpersonal communication of health care providers?
Yes, and it is subtle but profound. It appears sometimes as emotional disconnection—clinicians becoming brusque or transactional. At other times it impacts judgment: a hurried consultation, a failure to notice a cue in patient communication. I’ve also learned how stress sets us up for conflict or miscommunication. These are not failures— these are indicators that our support systems need to be fortified.
7. In what ways do you think trauma-informed care not only benefits patients, but also care providers?
Trauma-informed care encourages others to be empathetic, safe, and respectful to one another—both of which benefit providers, as well. By understanding that patients introduce trauma into healthcare environments, we are better attuned to our tone, manner, and assumptions. This builds larger and less adversarial interactions. For the provider, it reduces emotional labour and enhances professional satisfaction because the care seems more client-focused.
8. Can you give me an example where emotional intelligence or mindful communication helped to de-escalate a combative patient or team conflict?
I recall a highly charged incident on the paediatrics ward when a parent, frustrated with their child’s condition and lack of information, started to shout. One of the interns stepped in calmly, recognized their fear, and provided a clear and reassuring report. The room’s atmosphere changed immediately. One moment of thoughtful communication defused a potential blowup and re-established trust. It made me think at the time that emotional intelligence is not nice to have—it’s essential.
9. What kind of support systems—informal or formal— do you think are most needed to prevent burnout and promote wellbeing in healthcare settings?
Peer support groups, mental health counselling access, debriefing after traumatic cases, and mentorship—these can all assist. Informally, even tiny steps such as honest discussions of stress or weekly touch base with colleagues can assist in creating safety. More deeply, we require institutional support that wellbeing is not a personal indulgence—it’s a professional necessity.
10. Should peer networks, mentoring, or reflective practice be more deliberately embedded in hospital culture and clinical education?
In fact, I have learned a lot from informal senior mentoring where seniors have guided me both clinically and emotionally. Formalizing this type of mentoring through systematic programs would be very helpful. Reflective journaling or case discussion sessions with an emphasis on emotional working through can also provide young professionals with an arena to learn and heal safely.
11. What are some ways that public health institutions and hospitals can create a culture that values technical skills and emotional strength?
It starts with leadership. When leaders model empathy and see emotional struggle, they grant permission to others to do the same. Institutional policy must prioritize access to mental health, feedback loops, and continuous education in communication and psychological safety. A resilient workforce isn’t built in workshops—it’s built every day, in culture.
12. Finally, what would you advise other young healthcare providers regarding how to protect their emotional health while attending to the needs of others with compassion?
Take care of yourself in the way that you would a patient. Your compassion for others only exists as long as you create it for yourself. Don’t be reluctant to stand up for yourself, ask for help, or call in a time-out when you must. We entered into being physicians and nurses to fix—meaning, fix when we are burnt out, overwhelmed, or in pain. Emotional well-being is not a detour—it’s part of the path to being a better physician or nurse.