Exploring and Managing the Impostor Phenomenon in Palliative Care: A Case Series

The impostor phenomenon (IP) describes the experience of questioning one's abilities and fearing exposure as an intellectual fraud, despite objective evidence of success. The IP has been identified in high-achieving professionals across a variety of disciplines, including clinical medicine, and can be associated with significant anxiety and psychological distress. In this series, we present three authentic cases that demonstrate how the IP may manifest in palliative care practice. Acknowledging the current emphasis on clinician wellness and burnout, we suggest that the IP may be one important source of distress for many early-career clinicians in palliative care. With the physician as the focus of each case, we explore the difficult emotions faced and highlight how palliative care clinicians may be uniquely vulnerable to the IP. We then identify concrete strategies to help clinicians manage feelings of IP and enhance their professional well-being.