Discussing Ways to Help Clinicians Facing Career Burnout, with Hope Cook, PA-C

At the 2025 SDPA Annual Summer Dermatology Conference in Washington, DC, a talk was presented titled ‘Healing Clinician Burnout: How to Resuscitate Your Life & Career,’ and later discussed on-site in an interview with HCPLive.

The presenter was Hope Cook, PA-C, a physician associate from Georgia Skin Cancer & Aesthetic Dermatology. Cook is also a podcaster for a show called Healthcare Clinician Burnout and the author of a newly-released book titled ‘Healing Clinician Burnout: How to Revive Your Life and Career.’

“So many clinicians are experiencing burnout, and they don't know what to do,” Cook explained. “They [say to themselves], ‘Maybe I need to slow down, maybe I need to ask for more assistance,’ but they don't really know the framework that will get them from burned out to feeling like this is sustainable. So I created a framework, and I walk people through that during the talk.”

During her talk, Cook had described burnout as not the end of a clinician’s career but, potentially, the beginning of something new. She was asked to walk through what that shift in mindset looks like for a practicing clinician dealing with some form of burnout.

“I use a metaphor of my husband’s, who’s a forester,” Cook said. “When you have a controlled burn, you burn down a forest, and you're getting rid of invasive species, you're getting rid of some of the scraggly trees that may block out the light, and you're making room for new growth. The soil is also going to be richer as a result of this burn. I know it's hard for people to realize this when they're going through burnout, but burnout can be the thing that catapults you to a better place in your career. It gives you the opportunity to look at what's working, what's not working, and what you want to do to move forward.”

Cook’s session at SDPA introduces the notion of the “CPR framework” for healing from burnout. She was asked what these letters stand for and how the framework offers a realistic path forward for busy clinicians who feel stuck or overwhelmed.

“The C stage is 'cocooning,'" Cook said. "So this is a lot of inner work. This is where you get curious about what's really going on. How are you numbing out? How's your nervous system responding? You take a good look at what's working, what's not working, and then you can start planning and preparing. So that's the P stage. That's when you can look at each aspect of your job and sort of craft it to fit your needs, and if your employer can't or won't meet those needs, then that may be a sign that you need to look at other opportunities. The R stage is where you decide, am I going to revamp my job and do everything in my power to make this job sustainable? Or do I need to resign and look somewhere else? Or maybe I want to completely rechart my path and do something outside the clinic.”

Cook’s book ‘Healing Clinician Burnout: How to Revive Your Life and Career’ can be purchased online. For more about her session and its contents, view the full video segment posted above this summary.

To find out more about this topic and related topics highlighted at SDPA 2025, view the latest conference coverage.

The quotes contained in this video summary were edited for the purposes of clarity.