Spiritual care of the woman physician: Insights from Edith Stein and the Catholic tradition.

In the face of physician stress, burn-out, divorce, and suicide, the spiritual care of the Catholic woman physician must be addressed. Employing the insights of Edith Stein and the Catholic tradition, this article presents both theoretical propositions and practical applications regarding the three primary spheres of the woman physician's life: the spiritual, the familial, and the professional. Since woman's ultimate vocation is union with God through self-gift, prayer must occupy a central place in her life. Because she is wife and mother, family relationships must be given priority over the professional activity that is also her inestimable gift to humanity.