Neurosurgery residency has and never will be for the faint of heart. However, recent studies show that the field’s attrition rate is somewhere between ten and eleven percent. What can we do to make sure more residents make it through our programs and continue to advance our field? Enter Dr. Aurora Cruz. She’s a chief resident at the University of Louisville who is specifically tackling the issue of resident burnout.
Stop the snowball
Neurosurgery residents are historically known to be irascible and argumentative loaners who are willing to sacrifice anything or anyone to get what they want and achieve their goals. But Dr. Cruz says that identity is a thing of the past. She blames the current rate of neurosurgery resident burnout on a dying culture of machismo that is being replaced by a call for balance and wellness. Cruz elaborated: “When you are emotionally exhausted and burned out, you can barely put one foot in front of the other, much less be a spouse, parent, friend, or anything else. That creates a snowball effect that many residents find themselves in and some never get out of.” She believes the best way to stop the snowball is to acknowledge that residency is not a competition. There are no awards for the most suffering and exhausted residents in the hospital. Everyone is tired. Having grace for your nurses, attendings, and co-residents will give them the helping hand they need to not get crushed along the way.
Put your own mask on first
The issue of burnout is personal for Dr. Cruz because it’s a trial she has had to face firsthand. When faced with the sudden death of her mother and taking care of a newborn during residency, she had to look at herself in the mirror and acknowledge that while she could still do her job, she was barely hanging on. Dr. Cruz realized that she had to put her own oxygen mask on first before she could be of assistance to anyone else. Prioritizing mental health was an absolute game-changer for her.
In 2019, Dr. Cruz was asked to serve in the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. As a part of the Resilience and Wellness Committee, she and other residents are working to improve the awareness of neurosurgery burnout, doing research to better understand its manifestations, and how they can build resilience and self-care practices in neurosurgeons themselves. One way they are furthering the cause is through the event Voices of Neurosurgery. This is a platform for neurosurgeons, residents, and medical students to share their experiences and build comradery. Dr. Cruz believes the first step to solving neurosurgery burnout is talking about it. She believes that the first step to big changes is simply acknowledging the issues in a room filled with people who can relate. Dr. Cruz is excited to be at the forefront of residency reform and I’m excited to see how she shapes the experience for future generations of surgeons.