Perceptions of Burnout, Personal Achievement, and Anxiety Among US Podiatric Medicine and Surgery Residents: A Cross-Sectional Pilot Study

The prevalence of physician burnout among doctors of podiatric medicine (DPM) in the United States remains unknown. The purpose of the present pilot study was to assess perceptions of burnout, personal accomplishment, anxiety, and experiences of shame among DPMs training at Podiatric Medicine and Surgery Residency programs accredited by the Council on Podiatric Medical Education. An anonymous 35-question cross-sectional online survey was developed using the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale-Anxiety (HADS-A). Demographic data (sex, age, marital status, postgraduate year) and experiences of shame were also recorded. On December 31, 2018, the survey was distributed for completion. Univariate and bivariate analyses were conducted to obtain summary measures of the predictors and outcomes. Multinomial logistic regression models were obtained to evaluate the associations, and a 2-sided p < .05 was considered statistically significant. A total of 155 responses were eligible for inclusion. Forty-six percent of respondents reported high burnout, and nearly half (54%) reported low personal achievement and moderate to severe anxiety. Most had experienced ≥1 shame event during residency, which was associated with a greater level of anxiety (p < .001). Overall, lower burnout and higher personal achievement scores using the MBI-HSS were associated with lower anxiety scores using the HADS-A questionnaire (p < .001) and the absence of an experienced shame event (p = .039). Given that a potential relationship appears to exist between anxiety/experiences of shame and burnout/personal achievement in the present pilot study, additional longitudinal studies are warranted to discern any causal relationships.

Podiatric Medicine and Surgery Resident-Authored Publications in The Journal of Foot and Ankle Surgery: A Systematic Review

Since its introduction into the medical community, the Podiatric Medicine and Surgery residency has strived to graduate the most advanced and learned foot and ankle surgeons. From increasing length of training, to assuring didactics and education are sufficiently incorporated into the residency, the Council on Podiatric Medical Education has overseen this transition. One area of interest, podiatric medicine and research, remains central to this training and contributes to the field of foot and ankle surgery through journal publications. The purpose of this review was to identify Podiatric Medicine and Surgery resident-authored publication rates, trends, and geographic distribution. All published case reports, original research articles, review articles, and tips, quips, and pearls in The Journal of Foot and Ankle Surgery from January 2009 to December 2018 were reviewed. Podiatric Medicine and Surgery residents comprised 8% of all authors. Residents contributed to and published as first authors in 22% and 11% of all manuscripts, respectively. An increasing trend in resident authors, resident-authored manuscripts, and resident-first-authored manuscripts was observed. From before the mandated 3-year residency to after, the proportion of resident-authored manuscripts to all manuscripts declined from 9.99% to 7.21%; however, among these resident-authored publications, the rate of first-authorship increased from 45.32% to 51.36%. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first and only study to examine publication rates among foot and ankle surgery residents.