Burn out. Two words that haunt those in high stress jobs, especially in the medical profession. Long hours and the literal life-and-death nature of the field creates expectations to not only be on call at all hours, but to be at one’s best, even at 3:00 AM after a twenty-hour shift. So much energy is devoted to the care of others that self-care is forgotten.
Yet, more are noticing and research confirms that self-care is needed, not only for personal sanity but also for quality of work. Unwell medical professionals are not the best at treating others. And this self-care includes not just rest, food, and water, but a deeper care, one that tends the spiritual side as well.
To both the spiritually active and the spiritually resistant, hospital chaplain William Dorman offers a guide to understand a more comprehensive, full-bodied self-care. Each chapter begins with case studies, concrete experiences that help unpack abstract concepts which bring much needed peace to stressed individuals
William E. Dorman, DMin, graduated from Phillips University in Enid, OK with three majors: religion, English, and philosophy. He graduated from Vanderbilt University’s School of Divinity, earning the MDiv and DMin degrees with honors. His areas of concentration were scripture, theology, and pastoral counseling. In his career, Reverend Dr. Dorman has served in a variety of settings: local congregation ministry, hospital chaplaincy, hospice care, and now as an adult military family life counselor. His passion for ideas and helping people are his underlying energies in these settings.