To Advocate Effectively for Physician Well-Being, Strategy Must Overcome Reaction
By Dr. Jessie Mahoney
In the swiftly evolving landscape of health care, the urgency to support physician well-being has never been more critical. Burnout, moral distress, and workforce turnover are undermining the integrity of our health care system. Yet, despite fervent calls for transformation, lasting change remains out of reach. The cause? Advocacy for physician well-being frequently begins from a stance of resistance or sorrow instead of strategy.
To bring about impactful change, particularly within deeply rooted systems, physicians must advance beyond reactive responses. We need to direct our experiences, insights, and compassion into cohesive, strategic advocacy that resonates with the values and priorities of leadership.
Recognizing the Origins: A Culture of Self-Sacrifice
One of the initial steps in transitioning from reaction to strategy is comprehending how we, as physicians, have been conditioned to think. From medical school onward, we are instructed to prioritize the needs of others—patients, institutions, and the system—often to the detriment of our own well-being. Martyrdom, overextension, and self-denial are not merely accepted but celebrated.
This cultural conditioning undermines sustainability. Adopting the perspective that wellness is not an indulgence or solely an individual obligation, but a systemic essential, is key to cultivating a health care environment where clinicians can flourish. Only then can we shift from a mindset of endurance to one of empowered leadership.
From Sorrow to Advocacy
It is natural to mourn the decline of the compassionate, patient-centered medicine that many of us aspired to practice. However, dwelling in disappointment and frustration serves little purpose. Physicians must navigate this sorrow so that we can re-engage not as victims but as knowledgeable and determined change agents.
That process begins by recognizing our own internalized beliefs, as well as leadership’s priorities. Leaders are held accountable for metrics: financial outcomes, quality and safety, retention, recruitment, and patient satisfaction. Systemic change occurs when we address those outcomes.
Speaking the Language of Leadership
Effective advocacy articulates wellness in terms of leadership outcomes. By presenting solutions that illustrate how physician well-being enhances care quality, reduces turnover, and bolsters financial performance, we transform the dialogue from an emotional appeal to a strategic necessity.
Positioning physician wellness as vital to patient safety, institutional reputation, and operational efficacy makes it a mutual concern—one that leadership is motivated to tackle.
This reframing also facilitates collaboration among wellness professionals, physician advocates, and clinical leaders, rather than conflict. Instead of urging institutions to care simply because it’s the right thing to do (though it is), we can demonstrate why caring aligns with their strategic objectives.
The Impact of Inside-Out Change
Having served as both a wellness leader and operational executive at The Permanente Medical Group for nearly 20 years, I have experienced the tension between clinician well-being and organizational efficiency. The solution lies not in favoring one over the other, but in acknowledging that thriving physicians and effective systems can—and must—exist together.
When physicians grasp the motivations behind leadership decisions, we are better equipped to sway those decisions. Rather than waiting for top-down orders, we can work from within—modeling change, piloting solutions, gathering measurable outcomes, and framing them in a manner that resonates with leadership.
This approach does not entail abandoning the moral argument but rather augmenting it with metrics, data, and alignment with broader institutional aims.
Wellness as a Collective Responsibility
Wellness cannot be offloaded onto individual physicians as their sole responsibility. Nor can it be dismissed as a luxury offering reserved for times of abundance. It is a fundamental necessity for a functioning health care system. When physicians are supported, present, and capable of caring for themselves, they provide better care, remain in their positions longer, and foster healthier practice environments.
By investing in physician well-being initiatives—from coaching and mindfulness to schedule redesign, alleviation of administrative burdens, and cultural transformation—we ensure that health care remains viable for those who provide it and safe for those who receive it.
The Path Forward: Strategic Influence
Genuine advocacy for physician well-being entails becoming fluent in the language of leadership, clearing our efforts of emotion-driven impulse, and embracing the role of strategic insider. It requires enlisting allies across departments, utilizing data to bolster our arguments, and championing a unified vision in which physician well-being is integral to quality, access, and financial health.
Ultimately, it is insufficient to recognize that change is necessary. The true power lies in understanding how to facilitate that change—and in dedicating ourselves not only to nurturing the system but to shaping it.
Let us step into that role with clarity, wisdom, and strategic strength.
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About the Author:
Dr. Jessie Mahoney is a board-certified pediatrician, certified coach, mindfulness and yoga teacher, and founder of Pause & Presence Coaching & Retreats. After nearly two decades as a physician executive at The Permanente Medical Group/Kaiser, she now assists physicians.