Physicians Face Learned Helplessness From Training Culture, Says STAT+ Columnist

Frances Mei Hardin, a former ENT surgeon, launches a new STAT+ column called Chief Complaint, where she examines challenges confronting doctors today.

She highlights a striking example: some resident physicians in their thirties still must ask permission to use the restroom or get a snack, a practice that mirrors an infantilizing training environment.

Hardin argues that this early deference can foster learned helplessness, a state where clinicians stop trying to improve unfavorable conditions because they feel they lack control, even when they do have agency.

The column warns that such a mindset may undermine physicians’ ability to advocate for patients and themselves, calling for cultural shifts in medical education and workplace norms.