From NICU doc to burnout: coping with the consequences of chronic stress

It took resuscitating a baby who was born footling breech for me to finally get it.

I loved my work in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) because there was always some excitement, plenty of intellectual challenge, and various procedures to perform. Some days working in NICU, however, I felt like a fireman running around putting out fires – one baby deteriorating here, another baby needing resuscitation there, some terrified parent…