AMA Journal of Ethics^®

The weight of mentors’ burnout born by students is depicted in this image of arms entangling anguished faces.

A narrow definition of moral distress may mask morally relevant distinctions between types of distress and the groups experiencing it.

Physicians’ perceptions of “difficult” encounters are related to perceived workload, job satisfaction, and communication training, similar to burnout.

Competency assessments for aging physicians raise concerns

This month, AMA Journal of Ethics theme editor Sarah Waliany, a fourth-year medical student at Stanford University School of Medicine, interviewed Louise Andrew, MD, JD, about mental health challenges for physicians and medical students and some strategies for colleagues to assist and intervene.

Monitoring surgeons’ capacities over time are rooted in professional duties to protect patients’ safety. Aging surgeons should undergo assessments and be encouraged to stop practicing before their diminished skill becomes too risky.

Expanding the numbers of physicians with disabilities would facilitate patient-centered care for those who need similar accommodations.

Research on experiences of practicing physicians who have disabilities could help medical schools counsel applicants and increase enrollment among students with disabilities. This can ultimately improve care for patients with disabilities.

Physicians with a mental illness can have good, empathic relationships with their patients, even if patients know of their condition.

Physician health programs for impaired or disruptive physicians are not coercive but part of the social contract governing professional licensure.