Qualitative Psychology, Vol 12(3), Oct 2025, 338-353; doi:10.1037/qup0000306
The purpose of this study was to explore the affective experiences and emotional burdens inherent in the work of doing pediatric cardiothoracic and neurosurgery as it relates to career satisfaction. The grounded theory method was used. Twenty-seven surgeons were interviewed. The core category in this analysis is the double-edged sense of surgeons feeling totally responsible for one’s patients, which made them better at their job and was the source of their career satisfaction, but that also came with high emotional costs. This sense of responsibility led to high conscientiousness and extreme diligence and attention to detail. On the other hand, total responsibility also came with intense stress and extremely high emotional and physical burdens. The second double edge is that total responsibility was both the source of career satisfaction and dissatisfaction for surgeons. The emotional core of total responsibility included themes of anxiety about operating and perfectionistic rumination. It also included feelings of self-criticism, disappointment, helplessness, sadness, loneliness, and fear of retribution. Total responsibility led to distressing behaviors including working all the time at the expense of the surgeon’s families and their own well-being. The findings from this study point to a profession where emotional work and extreme stress and responsibility is a large component of the job. In the Discussion section, we talk about the importance of addressing these burdens in order to improve the quality of life of surgeons and the quality of care of their patients and their families. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)