Bernard Work Wellness was born out of the emotional strain of working in medicine.  Kari was a mid-career physician assistant when she transitioned into emergency medicine.  Within one year, she developed the telltale signs of burnout.  

 

Dread marked the beginning of every shift.  Patients no longer inspired compassion or kindness.  In an effort to salvage her passion for healing, she made the difficult decision to leave full-time clinical practice after only 10 years.

 

Kari exchanged the emergency room for the classroom and began teaching PA students.  Her passion reignited, she began exploring factors that burned her out in the ER.  Collaborating with PA faculty across the United States, she began integrating clinician wellness into the PA training curriculum.  

​

Ultimately Kari expanded her offerings to a broader healthcare audience and completed doctoral training in Industrial and Organizational Psychology, with a focus on healthcare burnout.  She also transitioned her clinical practice to psychiatry, pursued training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and earned a certificate in Evidence-based Coaching.