Sasha Shillcutt, M.D., a cardiothoracic anesthesiologist and vice chair of strategy and innovation in the Department of Anesthesiology, spoke April 27 in a global webinar discussing cardiothoracic surgery during the current COVID-19 pandemic.
The webinar was jointly hosted by the Cardiothoracic Surgery Network and the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists, and had more than 1,400 surgeon and anesthesiologist attendees from 102 countries during the live broadcast. A physician wellbeing expert, Dr. Shillcutt led a portion of the webinar focused on providing strategies to remain resilient in the face of crisis. Other topics covered in the webinar included approaches to re-opening cardiothoracic surgery services, caring for patients with COVID-19, and more. A recording can be viewed here.
“I want to encourage people to think of burnout and stress as a spectrum, and we are all on that spectrum,” Dr. Shillcutt said in the webinar. “It is really impossible to be a surgeon or anesthesiologist right now and not be facing some amount of stress and challenge in both our personal and professional lives.”
Stress management tips Dr. Shillcutt suggests are to do meaningful work for yourself, practice good sleep hygiene, get outside, revel in community, be aware of your numbing tendencies, and control what you can.
Dr. Shillcutt has published several manuscripts lectures frequently at conferences and academic medical centers on physician wellbeing.
Dr. Shillcutt speaks on physician wellbeing during pandemic in global webinar
