Episode 126: The Mental Load of Medicine, Burnout, Family, and Meaningful Change

Welcome back to the Sustainable Clinical Medicine Podcast! In Episode 126, Dr. Sarah Smith sits down with Dr. Sarah Lea, a family and addiction medicine physician based in Victoria, BC, to discuss what it means to build a truly sustainable medical career and life.

Dr. Lea shares her deeply personal journey through various stages in medicine—from her beginnings in obstetrics and gynecology, navigating motherhood, switching to family and addiction medicine, to building perinatal addiction programs for marginalized populations. She opens up about hitting burnout, the challenges of balancing demanding clinical work with family, and how she learned to prioritize herself and her values through supportive coaching and candid conversations at home.

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Timestamps:
00:00 Choosing Between Family Medicine and Specialization
05:33 Burnout Crisis and Unexpected Support
08:00 Managing Burnout in Healthcare Settings
11:53 Balancing Work, Family, and Support
14:46 "Support and Coaching in Medicine"
17:10 Discussing Vicarious Trauma in Medicine
20:11 Struggling Together: Humanizing Leadership
25:07 Fee for Service vs. Sessional Payment
26:35 Challenges in Inpatient Addictions Practice
30:03 Supporting Female Physicians' Wellbeing
34:48 Personalized Support for Diverse Needs