“We’re encouraged to mentally rehearse life-saving procedures for conditions that occur so rarely we might go our entire career without performing them. And the reality is that I could spend every minute of my free time this way and still have an unexpected situation arise during my next shift. So, is there a way, as experts in disaster preparedness, to accept what we cannot control?

Thankfully time, medication, and therapy helped me out of a very dark place, and the journey has prompted me to reconsider my priorities. Tessa and I only meet about once a month now. With her continued help, I’m hoping to find a way forward in the specialty I love, but with the understanding that I’m no longer willing to sacrifice my own mental wellness.”

Adrienne Van Curen is an emergency physician.

She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, “Are my coping skills a result of my emergency medicine training?”

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Hosted by Kevin Pho, MD, The Podcast by KevinMD shares the stories of the many who intersect with our health care system but are rarely heard from.