Battling burnout in health care: Reaching a milestone to reduce stigma

If work conditions contribute to mental stress for health care workers, why don’t they seek professional help? Because there is stigma — health care workers fear they will be thought of as unfit for practice, and possibly lose their jobs, when licensing and credentialing boards find out they sought help for their mental health. There is an easy way to around this if licensure and credentialing panels cooperate. Stefanie Simmons, MD, FACEP, chief medical officer of the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation, explains a milestone in improving this around the country.