20: Doctors, let's talk about WHY clinical work is SO EXHAUSTING

Are you EXHAUSTED or is it just me?    Clinical work is pretty magical. There is so much to love and enjoy about it. Something that comes with such highs apparently fairly comes with some lows too.    One of them seems to be that most of us will agree it's EXHASTING.    You can seemingly come home after a day of simply circling the wards at a pace that would make weekend golfers look athletic… Or sitting in a comfortable chair, chatting away with your patient and tapping away at the computer… YET, come home and be magnetised to the couch.    All you can think of is being still and doing nothing… Maybe you can tolerate a bit of TV or a book. Your body is heavy, your mind craves to be quiet. You WANT to spend time with your kids and have a laugh with your partner. You WANT to be the kind of person who goes straight on to a nice dinner… Or even just the gym.    But you hear your body's exhausted desperate whisper… "I can't".    Okay, that may be a little dramatic. But it feels not too far from reality. Many of you likely notice your non-clinical partners can come home with notably more pep in their step. So it's natural to ask… Is it YOU? Are YOU the problem here?   We've cherry-picked this topic today because clinical work seems to tire the most resilient and enthusiastic of us. In this episode, we talk about what makes clinical work special including what makes it ESPECIALLY tiring.    Join us in the conversation on the podcast! And let us know if we've missed anything or if you have any hypotheses to throw into our mix.