I'm really impressed by doctors. Between spending most of my life as a "professional patient" and working as a writing advisor for medical school application, I'm well aware of what goes into being a physician—and, more than that, what goes into being a good physician. One of the key ingredients is sacrifice... which is true of being good at anything, to be fair. But when you're rotating through multiple people's lives and well-being, trying to keep them all on the positive side, "sacrifice" is a lot more than giving up an evening out with friends.

I also know what burnout is. Although not on the scale of Eric Philson, the protagonist and narrator of Burned Out.

Dean Mafako, M.D. tells the story of a physician pushing to reform the cardiac ICU at the fictional Biloxi Children's Hospital. As the story opens, it's a mess: all records are still kept on paper, the atmosphere is bordering on toxic, and new well-tested methods are rejected because staff is doing things the way they've always been done. As the book opens, Dr. Philson is staring down the end of his time at Biloxi, and potentially the end of their CICU. But how did we get there?

The story is told across 500 pages: a detailed retelling of the rise and fall of the CICU under Dr. Philson's best efforts. But it's also a retelling of the rise and fall of his health, his sanity, his family, and countless patients who are unwitting pawns in a power struggle well above their heads.