We often call it burnout, but some of what clinicians carry is actually unrecognized grief from unresolved patient care.

Clinicians are trained to diagnose, treat, and move forward. But much of clinical work does not resolve cleanly, patients do not return, outcomes remain uncertain, and some are lost. These experiences accumulate, often quietly, and are frequently mislabeled as burnout.

This session introduces a practical framework-Notice, Name, Integrate- to help clinicians recognize when patient encounters are “sticking,” differentiate burnout from grief and moral distress, and develop simple, sustainable strategies to process these experiences.

Grounded in clinical psychiatry, narrative medicine, and mindfulness-based practice, this talk moves beyond reflection to provide concrete tools clinicians can use immediately in their day-to-day work.

Target Audience:

Physicians, residents, and healthcare professionals experiencing burnout, emotional fatigue, or the cumulative impact of patient care.

Lecture Objectives:

Participants will be able to:

-Identify how unresolved patient encounters contribute to emotional fatigue
-Differentiate burnout, grief, and moral distress in clinical practice
-Apply a simple 3-step framework (Notice → Name → Integrate) to real cases
-Use brief, practical strategies to process clinical experiences without detachment