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I’m not much into affirmations or mantras, but sometimes there’s a saying or phrase that plays over and over in your head that you just can’t kick. If something is going to take up that kind of space in your head, it may as well be something that drives your behavior in a super useful …
Physician and non-physician burnout is a tremendous problem in medicine and a reason why so many great doctors and health care workers end up leaving the field. Physician burnout is described as a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by prolonged stress in the workplace (JAMA Network Open, 2023). According to a national …
Like most existential questions, the answer to this question really depends on who you ask. A patient may have one answer and a physician a completely different response. Ask ten people and you’re likely to get ten different replies. What does being a great doctor mean to YOU? If you’re a doctor, this is an …
Difficult patients. We’ve all encountered them. Maybe we are them. (Afterall, they say doctors make the worst patients and there’s probably some truth to that.) But what makes a patient “difficult”? Is it someone with multiple complex medical issues or a condition you haven’t been able to diagnose or don’t fully understand? Is it someone …
One of my most stressful high school class memories was an AP English class I took my junior year. Each week we did these timed writings where we would get a certain amount of time to write an essay on some topic. As soon as the timer went off, you had to put your pencils …
A typical day in the life of a woman in medicine is filled with numerous decisions about tasks that need to be done. Some of these include: This is not an exhaustive list by any means, but as you can see, a work day in medicine is filled with nonstop decision-making that can take up …
If you are a medical professional or speak to a medical professional, a common theme emerges. No matter your specialty or position, most people have experienced doing more with fewer resources. This could mean fewer doctors or mid-levels seeing more patients, or fewer nurses working with more doctors. It could mean fewer ancillary and support …
If you’re a busy clinician like me, it’s easy to overlook small things that can make a big difference in how you manage your workflow during a typical work day. Investing a little time up front can save you a lot of time on the back end. One of the best uses of this planning …
One of the things you can count on in a typical day in medicine is that everything and everyone is vying for your attention. You may have a schedule of patients to see or procedures to perform, but during that time there are numerous potential interruptions that can cause you to lose focus. Patients are …
As a woman in medicine, you possess extreme dedication to providing quality healthcare to your patients. However, the demanding nature of your profession often leads to long hours, overflowing inboxes, and open patient charts that seem impossible to close. Failing to lead the visit can contribute to these undesirable results. Letting the patient lead the …