Combating Physician Burnout: Why the System Must Change, Not Clinicians

Physician burnout has reached crisis levels, yet many of the solutions we rely on continue to fall short.

In this episode of The ClinicianCore Podcast, Dr. Kevin Halow, a practicing surgeon with over 27 years of experience, examines why physician burnout is not a personal failure or a lack of resilience, but a system-level problem rooted in the design of modern healthcare.

Drawing from decades of clinical leadership across military and civilian medicine, Dr. Halow explores why wellness programs, mindfulness apps, and even redesigned physician lounges often provide only symbolic relief. While these initiatives may offer temporary comfort, they fail to address the deeper issues driving burnout, cognitive overload, fragmented communication, and broken workflows.

This conversation reframes burnout as a signal of structural failure and discusses what actually helps clinicians: clearer communication, fewer interruptions, and systems that support rather than compete with clinical judgment.

If you’re a physician, clinician, or healthcare leader navigating the realities of modern medicine, this episode offers a grounded, experience-driven perspective on what needs to change.

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