Managing the Pitt. Experts discuss how to cope with the stresses of emergency medicine

by Maddi Dellplain

Jun 18, 2025

“The average emergency room doctor gets pulled from Task A to Task B every three to five minutes.” …

“Is it always this busy?”

“Nope, it gets busier.”

So goes the dialogue in The Pitt, a TV show that has drawn a devoted following among emergency physicians for its realistic portrayal of a hectic emergency department (ED) – and the emotional stress it places on health-care professionals. In the show’s season one finale, the charge nurse resigns after a series of emotionally draining incidents – just like in real life.

Studies have shown that in the years following the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, rates of burnout and extreme fatigue have increased among ED staff.

Kerstin de Wit is an emergency physician and lead researcher on one such study. She says that contrary to popular belief, early in the pandemic burnout rates were surprisingly low. “Burnout levels were low compared to how they had been reported [in previous years] … it was only like 17 per cent … At the start of something, people really put a lot of energy and effort in and are a bit optimistic.”

However, de Wit says she’s surveyed this same group of emergency physicians three times now and “every time we surveyed them, the average score [for burnout] has worsened over time.” She will be analyzing the latest batch of data for publication later this summer.

The rise in ED physician burnout is something we should be concerned about, de Wit says, as physician burnout can have far-reaching consequences. “[Studies have shown] quite a clear correlation between higher burnout levels and medical error, as well as depression and anxiety but, even more concerningly, suicide.”

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