Are punitive rules forcing doctors to hide their mental health problems?

The Covid-19 pandemic has only added to the burnout felt by US physicians but many fear losing their career if they seek help

Dr Mary Dinh, 31, described her medical training during the pandemic as a soul-crushing experience. She constantly feared that she would bring home the virus from lack of PPE, used one N95 mask until it disintegrated and saw 13 patients die in one day at her Pennsylvania hospital. Dinh felt hopeless seeing unprecedented death, her colleagues struggle with depression and a fellow resident attempt suicide.

Residency is already one of the most difficult and challenging times in a physician's life," Dinh said, referring to the three to four years of training after medical school. Throw a pandemic on top of that, a shortage of doctors, and residents are essentially slave labor for the hospital."