Abstract
Physicians who work in Palliative Care or adjacent fields like Oncology often bear a unique emotional weight in addition to the typical responsibilities that come with the job. The nature of their work puts them in frequent contact with serious illness, dying, and grief. Additionally, they are often required to engage in conversations that are not only medically complex but also deeply personal and, at times, emotionally charged. While this emotional labor is an inherent part of the job, it can become especially heavy when there is no space to process it. Over time, this can build up and eventually lead to burnout, compassion fatigue, or even moral distress in certain situations.1 Unfortunately, many healthcare institutions lack structured opportunities for debriefing or peer reflection, despite the evidence that these practices are essential for clinician well-being. When opportunities for emotional processing are built into the culture, they sustain clinician well-being, deepen empathy, and strengthen care, hence why it is crucial to examine the emotional toll of this work and the various practices that allow physicians to keep showing up with humanity intact.
Recommended Citation
Olonilua, BS, Benedicta and Nardone, MD, Evan
(2026)
"The Emotional Labor of Clinicians and the Need for Reflective Support,"
The Medicine Forum: Vol. 27, Article 35.
Available at:
https://jdc.jefferson.edu/tmf/vol27/iss1/35
