I oversee a Faculty Well-being Champions Program managing 47 physician champions across 33 departments. Additionally, I practice palliative care part-time and guide physicians dealing with burnout. I connect with well-being leaders nationwide; some are merely ticking a wellness box, while others are earnestly striving for improvement. This year has shown me that well-being efforts uncover trends. The same detrimental behaviors appear across various institutions, specialties, and discussions.

As we approach the end of 2025, here are five actions health care must discontinue if we genuinely care about physician well-being.

1. Criticizing younger physicians for “not wanting to work as hard”
There’s a widespread narrative suggesting younger physicians lack the dedication of prior generations. They establish boundaries, refuse committee roles, don’t pursue mentorship, and emphasize work-life balance. The assumption: This generation lacks the same work ethic. Frequently, this claim is framed as concern that these young practitioners are forgoing professional growth.

This perspective overlooks the real changes. A recent Lancet article discussing the corporatization of medicine highlighted that “the opportunity for meaningful work in a flawed system” has diminished over the years. When physicians allocate more time to documentation than patient interaction, when administrative burdens escalate, when metrics favor productivity over quality, and when public trust in experts diminishes, the work becomes less fulfilling.

Younger doctors aren’t idle; they’re logically responding to a radically altered system. They create boundaries because the system doesn’t. They sidestep “additional” responsibilities since their required duties have already surged beyond a manageable level. They reduce informal chats with coworkers due to limited family time (and the space for casual interaction was likely redirected for profit-generating purposes).

Rather than trivializing generational shifts as a work ethic issue, consider: What aspects of the work have changed that prompt younger physicians to react this way? Their actions reflect data about our system.

2. Expecting physicians to spearhead well-being initiatives without resources
Well-being champions have the potential to facilitate substantial change if adequately supported. The challenge lies in assigning them to enhance morale without funding, transform culture without authority, or advocate for colleagues without institutional support. Frequently, physicians are assigned titles, asked to lead committees, and expected to resolve burnout, all alongside their regular responsibilities.

I’ve witnessed skilled physicians experiencing burnout from well-being tasks themselves due to insufficient resources, time, or institutional authority to effect systemic changes. They feel disheartened when it seems their only role is to absorb their colleagues’ distress.

Well-being initiatives are not a side project. They require dedicated time, operational aid, and true authority to enact recommendations.

3. Insisting well-being initiatives demonstrate immediate ROI
Health care organizations adopt new clinical technologies, expand service offerings, or renovate facilities with a long-term strategic perspective. However, well-being initiatives are subjected to a distinct criterion: they must break even quickly or they will be discontinued.

We’ll invest in AI scribes, but only if physicians see additional patients to balance the expense. We’ll back wellness programs, but they need to prove reduced turnover within six months. The underlying implication is that physician well-being is valued only in relation to financial outcomes. This mindset is narrow. Shanafelt and colleagues have made the business case: investing in well-being decreases turnover, absenteeism, and medical mistakes. Yet many executives seem to overlook this during budget deliberations.

We must cease viewing physician wellness as a luxury expenditure rather than an essential infrastructure investment.

4. The rigid employment model
Health care regards part-time clinical work as indicative of a lack of commitment. Physicians who cut back hours face professional repercussions: loss of benefits, fewer leadership prospects, diminished respect from peers, and worries about “maintaining their skills.” The unspoken message is that serious physicians work full-time, and anything less suggests you’re on the decline.

This inflexibility is unsustainable. Physicians have caregiving obligations, health challenges, and a basic human desire for balance. Some wish to blend clinical practice with research, education, advocacy, or other rewarding activities. Our health care system is on the brink of physician shortages. Creating space for those who wish to remain in the field under different conditions could be vital for patient access.

And as we rethink employment structures, let’s genuinely make sabbaticals available. Since 1880, universities have provided sabbaticals as a fundamental part of academic life. Medical schools list sabbatical policies in their handbooks, yet a 2021 survey revealed only 53 percent of U.S. medical schools reported any faculty taking sabbaticals in the last three years, with a median of just three per institution. The benefit exists in theory but is practically inaccessible until one becomes a full professor (15 to 20 years into a career, if at all).

5. Introducing every flashy new technology without considering downstream consequences
Institutions roll out new EHR modules, AI scribes, patient portal enhancements, telehealth platforms, and documentation tools at an overwhelming pace.