[INTERNAL MEDICINE: "WHAT MAKES THE DESERT BEAUTIFUL - IS A WELL HIDDEN SOMEWHERE"].

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: In recent years, the status of Internal Medicine has been constantly wearing down. There has been a dramatic decrease in the number of internal medicine students and residents planning to pursue careers in internal medicine. This is mainly due to a higher workload, as well as physical and professional exhaustion leading to work dissatisfaction and provision of suboptimal patient care. Therefore, an increased tendency towards selecting a career in internal medicine sub-specialties has been noted. In this paper, we will present an open and sincere talk with three young internal medicine specialists, who willingly decided to keep working in internal medicine departments despite the challenging work environment. We will discuss the burnout associated with poor work-life/home balance and disruptive work environment and suggest measurements that may enhance the educational and professional experience and career satisfaction and increase the well-being of internal medicine specialists in the future. We aim to promote awareness to the importance of maintaining high-quality senior physicians working in Internal Medicine departments.