Why Highly Sensitive People Burnout in Medicine

Do you wonder why there is so much burnout in medicine? As a healthcare worker have you ever felt overwhelmed by fast pace, loud noises, constant interruptions and bright lights? Are you disillusioned with how difficult it is to provide quality care and support your patients within the fixed, rigid healthcare system?

In this week’s episode of the Life After Medicine podcast, my guest, Becky Corbett RN and I discuss why highly sensitive people have such a hard time thriving in the medical field. After a severe burnout while working as a bedside nurse, Becky decided to take her nervous system health seriously. During this time she also realized she was a highly sensitive person. Using this information she embarked on a path to gentle living and burnout recovery.

Listen in as Becky and Chelsea discuss what it means to be a highly sensitive person (HSP), how the healthcare environment is not supportive of HSPs, tips and techniques for calming your nervous system, and how to design a fulfilling career as an HSP.

Tune in by using the audio player above or searching for “Life After Medicine” wherever you listen to podcasts.

Burnout in Medicine

Becky has been a nurse for 11 years, but from the beginning it never felt quite right. When she first set foot in the hospital she was shocked and overwhelmed with a feeling of sensory overload from all the loud dings and bright lights. She kept working telling herself that things would get better once she had more experience. However that wasn’t the case.

While working as a bedside nurse, Becky always experienced guilt to pick up extra shifts. The overworking coupled with the harsh environment of the hospital caused her to eventually reach a state of severe burnout. This reached an all time high when she went on a solo trip to India, had a panic attack and booked an early flight to come back home.

This was a wake up call for Becky, and upon returning from her trip to India she decided to start taking her nervous system health seriously. She embarked on a path to gentle living, during which time she discovered that she was a highly sensitive person. Ultimately she realized the profession of bedside nursing wasn’t serving her or honoring her needs and she ended up leaving the hospital system.

What’s a Highly Sensitive Person

Becky first learned about being a highly sensitive person through reading Dr. Elaine Aron’s book entitled “The Highly Sensitive Person”.

Here are some questions from Dr. Elaine Aron’s website to help you identify if you are a highly sensitive person:

Are you easily overwhelmed by such things as bright lights, strong smells, coarse fabrics, or sirens nearby?
Do you get rattled when you have a lot to do in a short amount of time?
Do you make a point of avoiding violent movies and TV shows?
Do you need to withdraw during busy days, into bed or a darkened room or some other place where you can have privacy and relief from the situation?
Do you make it a high priority to arrange your life to avoid upsetting or overwhelming situations?
Do you notice or enjoy delicate or fine scents, tastes, sounds, or works of art?
Do you have a rich and complex inner life?
When you were a child, did your parents or teachers see you as sensitive or shy?

Becky immediately resonated with these descriptions and began learning more about what it means to be a highly sensitive person. It is not a disorder and it doesn’t mean there is something wrong with you. Being “highly sensitive” is a trait that an estimated 20% of the population is born with. Now Becky has come to realize how being highly sensitive is a gift and refers to it as “her superpower”.

Why do Highly Sensitive People Burnout in Medicine

The environment of the healthcare system is not supportive of highly sensitive people for a number of reasons. First and foremost is the sensory overload. Hospitals are full of bright lights, loud dings, constant fast paced motion, strong smells, and sights that are not so easy on the eyes. This sensory overload can be overwhelming and debilitating for highly sensitive people.

Another problem is the fixed and directive nature of the healthcare system. Highly sensitive people are idealists and want to do meaningful work to make the world a better place. The hospital system can be rigid without much room for change which is disheartening for highly sensitive people.

I always felt like I was pushing an uphill battle trying to support my patients the best I could but with such severe limitations.
Becky Corbett

These are some of the reasons that highly sensitive people are more likely to burnout in medicine. It is a career choice that is not sustainable long term for many highly sensitive people.

Taking Care of Your Nervous System

After experiencing burnout in medicine, Becky decided to take her nervous system health seriously. She had been using alcohol to help her relax after a stressful shift without realizing this was wreaking havoc on her nervous system. Alcohol initially depresses the central nervous system, but when the alcohol wears off there is a rebound effect causing the nervous system to activate even more than before taking a drink.

People who are highly sensitive should take a good look at all the various nervous system stimulants and stressors including caffeine and negative media. It’s also important to look at how you can calm your nervous system and begin implementing those into your daily life. Becky recommends connecting with nature, sitting in stillness, and letting your body know that you are safe.

Career Fulfillment for Highly Sensitive People

Many people who are highly sensitive are drawn to careers in healthcare because they want to help people and make a meaningful difference. Highly sensitive people also make great humanitarians, environmentalists, etc. However, there is a high rate of highly sensitive people who burnout in medicine due to the reasons previously discussed.

Finding a sustainable and fulfilling career is important for highly sensitive people. As idealists, they need to connect with their values and be sure to find work that aligns with their values. Instead of looking online to find a job, it can be more effective to create your own job. The path towards career fulfillment can be filled with uncertainty which is scary especially for healthcare workers. In the episode Becky and Chelsea offer several tips for dealing with this uncertainty.