Journal Article

Feeling like an imposter: are surgeons holding themselves back?

Camazine, Maraya, Betancourt-Ramirez, Alejandro, Lynde, Jennifer, Joseph, Bellal, Tannous, Anthony, Asfaw, Sofya H, Behbahaninia, Milad, Kramer, Kristina Z, Moren, Alexis M, Tseng, Esther S, Hosseinpour, Hamidreza, Feather, Cristina B, Bhogadi, Sai Krishna, Hojman, Horacio M, El-Qawaqzeh, Khaled, LaRiccia, Aimee K, Atluri, Sahaja, Zielinski, Martin D, Galey, Kelly M, Baroody, Rikat, Mubang, Ronnie N, Terzian, William T H, Ramirez, Christine L, Douglas, Molly, Pham, Minh-Tri

2023

Overview

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.

• Publisher: BMJ Publishing Group Ltd,BMJ Publishing Group LTD,BMJ Publishing Group
• Subject: 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