It is not uncommon for physicians to experience workplace violence (verbal or even physical). Physicians are at risk for work-related exposure to traumatic events, including patient critical illness and death, serious medical errors and complications, treating people exposed to natural and human-generated disasters, workplace violence, and hazardous exposures. Participants included incoming 1,134 interns in the academic year 2018-2019. Questionnaires were sent in before and every three months during the residency. A total of 56% of respondents reported work-related trauma exposure (WETE), and among these, 19.0% screened positive for PTSD (compared to 3.6% in the general population). Trauma exposure was higher in ER and surgical residents. Still, when controlled for other demographic factors, those in pediatrics, Family medicine, and OB/Gyn has a higher odds ratio of being traumatized. Those non-Hispanic whites, who worked more hours, and came in the residency with baseline life events and family adversity were at increased risk for WET. In addition, those who developed depression or anxiety were concerned about medical errors. Organizational strategies to identify those interns at higher risk and regular checkups can help those from getting their trauma to a dysfunctional level. Organizations should understand the role of resiliency and teach those elements early on. For some reason, secondary trauma is less prevalent in older individuals, but the chance of burnout goes up.
High Rates of Work-Related Trauma, PTSD in Intern Physicians