PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Benjamin R. Doolittle
TI  - Are We the Walking Dead? Burnout as Zombie Apocalypse
AID  - 10.1370/afm.1975
DP  - 2016 Nov 01
TA  - The Annals of Family Medicine
PG  - 578--580
VI  - 14
IP  - 6
4099  - http://www.annfammed.org/content/14/6/578.short
4100  - http://www.annfammed.org/content/14/6/578.full
SO  - Ann Fam Med2016 Nov 01; 14
AB  - The Walking Dead, one of the most popular television shows in recent history, uses the plot of a zombie apocalypse as a lens into exploring the human condition. Amidst a particularly dangerous moment, the show’s hero references the human struggle to survive by remarking, “We are the walking dead.” This offhand comment sheds light upon physicians’ struggles in medicine, in particular the high prevalence of burnout and the challenge to cultivate compassion and meaning. This is an important question for our age and for our profession. Are we the walking dead?