Feeling like an imposter: are surgeons holding themselves back?

Imposter syndrome is a psychological phenomenon where people doubt their achievements and have a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as a fraud, even when there is little evidence to support these thought processes. It typically occurs among high performers who are unable to internalize an...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Trauma surgery & acute care open 2023-08, Vol.8 (1), p.e001021-e001021
Main Authors: Joseph, Bellal, Tseng, Esther S, Zielinski, Martin D, Ramirez, Christine L, Lynde, Jennifer, Galey, Kelly M, Bhogadi, Sai Krishna, El-Qawaqzeh, Khaled, Hosseinpour, Hamidreza, Asfaw, Sofya H, Behbahaninia, Milad, Feather, Cristina B, Kramer, Kristina Z, LaRiccia, Aimee K, Terzian, William T H, Betancourt-Ramirez, Alejandro, Douglas, Molly, Hojman, Horacio M, Moren, Alexis M, Mubang, Ronnie N, Tannous, Anthony, Pham, Minh-Tri, Camazine, Maraya, Atluri, Sahaja, Baroody, Rikat
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anxiety
Burnout
Clinical competence
Current Opinion
education, medical
Females
general surgery
Medical errors
Mental disorders
Mental health
Patient safety
practice patterns, physicians
Professionals
Questionnaires
Self esteem
stress disorders, post-traumatic
Surgeons
Surgery
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Summary:Imposter syndrome is a psychological phenomenon where people doubt their achievements and have a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as a fraud, even when there is little evidence to support these thought processes. It typically occurs among high performers who are unable to internalize and accept their success. This phenomenon is not recognized as an official mental health diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition; however, mental health professionals recognize it as a form of intellectual self-doubt. It has been reported that imposter syndrome is predominant in the high-stakes and evaluative culture of medicine, where healthcare workers are frequently agonized by feelings of worthlessness and incompetence. Imposter syndrome can lead to a variety of negative effects. These can include difficulty concentrating, decreased confidence, burnout, anxiety, stress, depression, and feelings of inadequacy. This article will discuss the prevalence of imposter syndrome among surgeons, its associated contributing factors, the effects it can have, and potential strategies for managing it. The recommended strategies to address imposter syndrome are based on the authors’ opinions.
ISSN:2397-5776
2397-5776
DOI:10.1136/tsaco-2022-001021