Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Success in medicine does not equate to a successful life

Stephanie Wellington, MD
Physician
May 9, 2019
Share
Tweet
Share

I sat across the table from my physician client and listened to her story. She asks, “How can it be that after four years of medical school and three years of residency training in my chosen field, I feel so disillusioned and disconnected?”

Instead of seeing the excitement of starting a new chapter in her career or even acknowledging some trepidation about becoming an attending with the increasing pressures of this new level of responsibility, a quiet sadness surrounded her. It wasn’t the sadness of moving on and leaving peers behind. No, it wasn’t that.

It was the sadness of the brokenness that residency training left in its wake. She certainly was not the image of the smiling doctor wearing the white coat and stethoscope that you might see on the pages of a website. And she is not alone.

Whether you call it physician burnout, frustration, overwhelm, stress, or, as I do, sadness from brokenness, it is a disease that does not discriminate based on gender, race, specialty, level of training, or years in practice. I’ve met amazing physicians years into their careers who understood the necessity of taking time off from practice to recover. I’ve met talented, highly skilled clinicians who lost personal fulfillment in their lives.

Some doctors appear to thrive in the present climate of medicine, propelling them to excel. Meanwhile, others wade through the water, just trying to make it to the other side, and as we know, others break.

Sitting across from my client stirred feelings deep within me. It brought back memories. How could it be that, almost two decades later, the struggle in medicine still exists? It persists. How is it that a profession that dedicates itself to research and has embraced and utilized technology to the point of having robotic surgeries has neglected its people?

There is a disconnection that we can no longer ignore. Success in medicine does not automatically equate to a successful life.

Somehow, somewhere in the process of studying, honing clinical skills, and focusing on delivering the best outcomes for patients, we sacrifice our humanity. We have to acknowledge this problem and the role we play in it. We have to be willing to shift into a new model where we educate and train one another in a collegial spirit and not as competitors. We have to learn to nurture and not destroy.

So, together we sifted through the sadness of her brokenness. Healing had to occur in order for her to experience transformation and emerge as the physician she is meant to be. The life lessons can only be recognized, understood, and utilized after the pain of the trauma is released. The life lessons revealed her resiliency. It revealed her commitment to completing the program when there was every reason for her to quit. It revealed her courage to ask for help in a profession where suffering in isolation is more prevalent.

Could these lessons mold and shape her into a doctor who emerges to show compassion, understanding, and perseverance towards her own patients when they need it the most? Aren’t these qualities that we want our doctors to embody? Is there another to develop such qualities without having to feel demoralized in the process?

As I think about the future of medicine, I ask myself might this be the next leading edge of medicine? Can the current structure in medicine make room for the personal development doctors need to experience success in all areas of life, not solely on the professional front?

My clients tell me, yes. The doctors, who are courageous enough to reach out for help, affirm it is the new direction for medicine for physicians to thrive. And it is not solely for physicians.

It’s evidenced by the nurse practitioner whose career has expanded beyond the bedside to include publishing in nursing journals, speaking at conferences, and contributing to the core curriculum for training emerging practitioners in the NICU, who attributes her achievements and success in her personal and professional life to the strategies mapped out together when her career was in its infancy 19 years ago.

ADVERTISEMENT

It’s evidenced by the resident who does her inner work to release the feeling of not being good enough so that it no longer influences her career decisions. Now, she steps boldly into living her fullest potential and making contributions to medicine.

It’s evidenced by the physician who incorporates daily practices into her everyday life to promote peace and harmony and combat stress as she adjusts to life as an attending physician.

Medicine needs its doctors, nurses, practitioners, and teams to release their brokenness and embrace the wholeness of life so they can fully demonstrate best practices in their delivery of patient care and their delivery of care to themselves. Patients are not the only ones who need to heal to make room for life to flow. When we heal, we shift from seeing only the struggle in medicine and avail ourselves of the solutions and support we need to move through it all.

Maybe this is the leading edge of medicine.

Stephanie Wellington is a physician, certified professional coach, and founder of Nurturing MDs, dedicated to guiding physicians from stress and overwhelm to ease and flow in the demanding medical field. She empowers clinicians to infuse new energy into their careers and reconnect with their identities beyond the stethoscope. She can also be reached on Facebook and LinkedIn.

She is a speaker, author, and recipient of the Excellence in Teaching Award. If stress and overwhelm are part of your practice, get started with the free guide: “15 Ways to Infuse New Energy.”

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

Chronicles of a resident's life

May 8, 2019 Kevin 0
…
Next

It's time to teach the elderly about computer safety

May 9, 2019 Kevin 1
…

Tagged as: Hospital-Based Medicine

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Chronicles of a resident's life
Next Post >
It's time to teach the elderly about computer safety

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Stephanie Wellington, MD

  • Reuniting with a colleague reminded me why I love being a doctor

    Stephanie Wellington, MD
  • The quiet shift: Practicing presence in the fast-paced medical profession

    Stephanie Wellington, MD
  • How a simple habit changed my entire medical career

    Stephanie Wellington, MD

Related Posts

  • How social media can advance humanism in medicine

    Pooja Lakshmin, MD
  • Why academic medicine needs to value physician contributions to online platforms

    Ariela L. Marshall, MD
  • Ethical humanism: life after #medbikini and an approach to reimagining professionalism

    Jay Wong
  • The difference between learning medicine and doing medicine

    Steven Zhang, MD
  • KevinMD at the Richmond Academy of Medicine

    Kevin Pho, MD
  • Becoming a doctor in India can be life-threatening

    Dr. Saurabh Jha

More in Physician

  • How subjective likability practices undermine Canada’s health workforce recruitment and retention

    Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD
  • Why judgment is hurting doctors—and how mindfulness can heal

    Jessie Mahoney, MD
  • Why evidence-based management may be an effective strategy for stronger health care leadership and equity

    Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD
  • The gift we keep giving: How medicine demands everything—even our holidays

    Tomi Mitchell, MD
  • From burnout to balance: a neurosurgeon’s bold career redesign

    Jessie Mahoney, MD
  • Why working in Hawai’i health care isn’t all paradise

    Clayton Foster, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • How New Mexico became a malpractice lawsuit hotspot

      Patrick Hudson, MD | Physician
    • The hidden health risks in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act

      Trevor Lyford, MPH | Policy
    • Why doctors are reclaiming control from burnout culture

      Maureen Gibbons, MD | Physician
    • Why health care leaders fail at execution—and how to fix it

      Dave Cummings, RN | Policy
    • How digital tools are reshaping the doctor-patient relationship

      Vineet Vishwanath | Tech
    • Would The Pitts’ Dr. Robby Robinavitch welcome a new colleague? Yes. Especially if their initials were AI.

      Gabe Jones, MBA | Tech
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
    • Here’s what providers really need in a modern EHR

      Laura Kohlhagen, MD, MBA | Tech
    • How the 10th Apple Effect is stealing your joy in medicine

      Neil Baum, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Decoding your medical bill: What those charges really mean

      Cheryl Spang | Finance
    • The emotional first responders of aesthetic medicine

      Sarah White, APRN | Conditions
    • Why testosterone matters more than you think in women’s health

      Andrea Caamano, MD | Conditions
    • A mind to guide the machine: Why physicians must help shape artificial intelligence in medicine

      Shanice Spence-Miller, MD | Tech
    • How subjective likability practices undermine Canada’s health workforce recruitment and retention

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician
    • How veteran health care is being transformed by tech and teamwork

      Deborah Lafer Scher | Conditions

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

Leave a Comment

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • How New Mexico became a malpractice lawsuit hotspot

      Patrick Hudson, MD | Physician
    • The hidden health risks in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act

      Trevor Lyford, MPH | Policy
    • Why doctors are reclaiming control from burnout culture

      Maureen Gibbons, MD | Physician
    • Why health care leaders fail at execution—and how to fix it

      Dave Cummings, RN | Policy
    • How digital tools are reshaping the doctor-patient relationship

      Vineet Vishwanath | Tech
    • Would The Pitts’ Dr. Robby Robinavitch welcome a new colleague? Yes. Especially if their initials were AI.

      Gabe Jones, MBA | Tech
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
    • Here’s what providers really need in a modern EHR

      Laura Kohlhagen, MD, MBA | Tech
    • How the 10th Apple Effect is stealing your joy in medicine

      Neil Baum, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Decoding your medical bill: What those charges really mean

      Cheryl Spang | Finance
    • The emotional first responders of aesthetic medicine

      Sarah White, APRN | Conditions
    • Why testosterone matters more than you think in women’s health

      Andrea Caamano, MD | Conditions
    • A mind to guide the machine: Why physicians must help shape artificial intelligence in medicine

      Shanice Spence-Miller, MD | Tech
    • How subjective likability practices undermine Canada’s health workforce recruitment and retention

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician
    • How veteran health care is being transformed by tech and teamwork

      Deborah Lafer Scher | Conditions

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Leave a Comment

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...