Prescription Comedy: An Unlikely Antidote to Physician Burnout

by Pranathi Kondapaneni

Overview

The secret to healing from physician burnout, re-connecting with loved ones and rediscovering daily joy resides in an unlikely place: the comedy club.  

In Prescription Comedy, author Dr. Pranathi Kondapaneni shares her personal journey with on-the-job burnout and how an almost accidental foray into the world of comedy proved key to her cure. 

What you'll discover:  

• Why so many physicians succumb to burnout and suffer a loss of faith as they toil under the weight of a medical system that doesn't value connection 
• Where the true value of comedy truly lies: in cultivating a connection with the audience that extends far beyond making them laugh
• How Dr. Kondapaneni's personal quest to improve the physician-patient communication bond led her to discover and explore comedy 
• Simple lessons that can help you defeat physician burnout

"In sharing my journey, I aim to help fellow physicians who feel downtrodden, disenfranchised, and disenchanted by the weight of this medical system," says Dr. Kondapaneni. "Unless one has walked in the shoes of a shattered physician, it's hard to understand the swamp which can swallow a physician whole."  

This book was written for physicians, who are often seen as lucky to have a stable, well-paying career. They ultimately carry the burden of treating our most precious resource: health. Couple this responsibility with a broken healthcare system, and physicians face a hefty load indeed. 

The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter.

-Mark Twain

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781989059180
Publisher:	Ingenium Books
Publication date:	02/11/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	106
File size:	434 KB

About the Author

Pranathi Kondapaneni is a physician, writer, and explorer-in-chief. At the age of sixteen, she was accepted into a combined BA/MD program. By twenty-four, she had completed four degrees: two undergraduate (in economics and biology), a master's in public health, and a medical degree. After completing a residency in neurology and two fellowships in sleep and epilepsy, Dr. Kondapaneni spent a decade in private-practice. Frustration with clinical medicine led Dr. Kondapaneni, in 2015, to set out on a series of adventures to help improve communication in the medical office and combat physician burnout. These adventures have included comedy routines to classes on artistic visual observation. Dr. Kondapaneni enjoys exploring other disciplines in order to empower physicians to improve communication and combat burnout.
 She lives in Michigan but has traveled extensively, including to Australia, India, Chile, and South Africa. She also likes traveling around the United States. She enjoys audiobooks and podcasts, the smell of coffee in the a.m., sipping on a good cup of tea, and soaking up culture through art, architecture, food, or a great movie.

Table of Contents

Introduction

THE WHITE COAT'S FAILURE

1. Dent in My Armor

2. Anatomy of Disillusion

3. Anatomy of Physician Burnout

4. Female Physician Burnout

5. Why Physicians Burn Out

6. The Burnout Cure

MY COMEDIC ADVENTURES

7. The Flame Challenge

8. Zip Zap Zop

9. The Connection Conundrum

10. Foreign Accents

11. Educate, Entertain, Inspire

THE COMEDIC CURE

12. The Good of a Simple Smile

13. Jump. Dance. Treasure.

14. A Beautiful Goodbye