Actionable Areas of Distress Among Pediatric Cardiology Fellows

To quantify burnout and identify specific stressors among a national sample of pediatric cardiology fellows.

We invited program directors at all 61 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited pediatric cardiology training programs to distribute a 40-item survey to their categorical (year 1-3) fellows from February to April 2023. The survey included the Stanford Professional Fulfillment Index and ratings of key stressors to understand levels of burnout and associated stressors.

In total, 67% (261/391) of contacted pediatric cardiology fellows completed the survey, representing 50% of all categorical fellows in the US. Of these, 42% reported symptoms of burnout. Fellows without children were found to have increased odds of experiencing burnout symptoms compared with those with children (OR 2.03). 13 of 15 stressors were associated with increased burnout scores, of which "excessive number of work hours," "challenges to prioritizing self-care," and "mistreatment from supervisors" were the top 3.

This national study of pediatric cardiology fellows shows a high prevalence of burnout. The modifiable stressors identified in this study offer opportunities to improve the well-being of this group of trainees.