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

Be the physician who supports other doctors

Clarissa Barnes, MD
Physician
March 20, 2020
Share
Tweet
Share

Medicine is a difficult calling. You already know the sacrifices. As an undergraduate, you gave up time with friends and family so you could be accepted into medical school — where you worked even harder.

You understand that the practice of medicine requires you to take responsibility for the care of others … and the emotional toll that comes with it.

In this profession, it’s easy to feel like you’re alone. Our medical training creates a sense of competition; we compete with each other for class rank, residency slots, and coveted fellowships. But in this high-stress age of medicine, we are also each other’s greatest source of support.

I have been around medicine my whole life. And during my lifetime, I have seen physicians retreat from one another.

As the daughter of a family-practice physician, I spent countless happy hours at clinics and hospitals. When I came to visit, physicians would stop what they were doing to show me magic tricks or give me stickers. The doctor’s “lounge” was a busy place, and physicians would stop there prior to rounds to ask about one another’s families or hobbies.

I don’t intend to over-romanticize the medicine of yesteryear.

It wasn’t perfect. The difference is, no matter what problems faced the medical community, there was a stronger sense of “us” as a physician body.

Somewhere along the way, tucked among electronic medical records, increasing documentation and metric requirements, and the transition from independent practice to employment — we became so overwhelmed that we had to streamline our days in order to finish the work.

We skip the doctor’s lounge because we need that time to write our notes. We inhale lunches at our desks while still working (if we eat at all).

Medical associations’ and medical-staff meetings’ attendance continue to decrease. We cut out the one thing we needed the most—the support of our colleagues.

There was a point in my life when I didn’t understand this well. Years ago, while on call as the resident in the CCU, I received an early-morning phone call that my cancer-stricken grandmother was moving to hospice. I stepped into the hallway to collect myself, but one of my fellow residents noticed I was upset. She suggested I call in jeopardy to cover my shift, but I told her I just needed a minute. When I returned to the unit, I was stunned to find that jeopardy had been called on my behalf and that I was free to go. My grandmother, who lived halfway across the country, passed within hours of my arrival. I got to say goodbye to my grandmother because my colleague recognized my need and took the opportunity to support me.

Since that time, I have had several different physician roles and felt the desire to just push through to get my work done. I could justify not calling that consultant because they can just read my note. Nobody would think twice if I disappeared to a far off computer to do my notes so I could avoid distracting conversations with my fellow physicians. But if I do those things, then I’ve cut myself off from the people I need. In fact, the latest Medscape survey data indicates I am not alone, and the number one answer to “How do physicians deal with burnout” is “isolate self from others” with a response rate of 45 percent. Physicians with thoughts of suicide will tell a friend or colleague 21-27 percent of the time (depending on generation) but no one 37-41 percent of the time.

In medicine, you will lose patients and spend hours obsessing over what you could have done differently. In life, there will be births, deaths, divorces, addiction, depression, or other stressors that will make your work life more difficult. In those moments, be the kind of doctor who makes the call for your colleague and helps them out. In those moments, be the kind of doctor who accepts that help. Spend time with your colleagues because the bonds you make with those you work within this shared calling can make all the difference.

ADVERTISEMENT

Clarissa Barnes is an internal medicine physician.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

7 dangerous myths about the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic

March 20, 2020 Kevin 1
…
Next

Why this immunocompromised doctor wants you to stay home

March 21, 2020 Kevin 2
…

Tagged as: Hospital-Based Medicine, Practice Management

Post navigation

< Previous Post
7 dangerous myths about the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic
Next Post >
Why this immunocompromised doctor wants you to stay home

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Clarissa Barnes, MD

  • To my health care colleagues in South Dakota

    Clarissa Barnes, MD
  • Physician suicide awareness: glimmers of hope for the future

    Clarissa Barnes, MD
  • COVID-19 is a war on two fronts

    Clarissa Barnes, MD

Related Posts

  • Why this physician supports Medicare for all

    Thad Salmon, MD
  • A physician’s addiction to social media

    Amanda Xi, MD
  • Why academic medicine needs to value physician contributions to online platforms

    Ariela L. Marshall, MD
  • Doctors die. But the good ones leave a legacy.

    Jaime B. Gerber, MD
  • How a physician keynote can highlight your conference

    Kevin Pho, MD
  • Medicine rewards self-sacrifice often at the cost of physician happiness

    Daniella Klebaner

More in Physician

  • The hidden incentives driving frivolous malpractice lawsuits

    Howard Smith, MD
  • Mastering medical presentations: Elevating your impact

    Harvey Castro, MD, MBA
  • Marketing as a clinician isn’t about selling. It’s about trust.

    Kara Pepper, MD
  • How doctors took back control from hospital executives

    Gene Uzawa Dorio, MD
  • How art and science fueled one woman’s path to medicine

    Amy Avakian, MD
  • In a fractured world, Brian Wilson’s message still heals

    Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • Why Medicaid cuts should alarm every doctor

      Ilan Shapiro, MD | Policy
    • When the diagnosis is personal: What my mother’s Alzheimer’s taught me about healing

      Pearl Jones, MD | Conditions
    • Key strategies for smooth EHR transitions in health care

      Sandra Johnson | Tech
    • Reassessing the impact of CDC’s opioid guidelines on chronic pain care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why flashy AI tools won’t fix health care without real infrastructure

      David Carmouche, MD | Tech
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • How dismantling DEI endangers the future of medical care

      Shashank Madhu and Christian Tallo | Education
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • How scales of justice saved a doctor-patient relationship

      Neil Baum, MD | Physician
    • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

      Carlin Lockwood | Policy
    • Why shared decision-making in medicine often fails

      M. Bennet Broner, PhD | Conditions
  • Recent Posts

    • The hidden incentives driving frivolous malpractice lawsuits

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
    • Why what doctors say matters more than you think [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • How Mark Twain would dismantle today’s flawed medical AI

      Neil Baum, MD and Mark Ibsen, MD | Tech
    • Mastering medical presentations: Elevating your impact

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Physician
    • Marketing as a clinician isn’t about selling. It’s about trust.

      Kara Pepper, MD | Physician
    • Graduating from medical school without family: a story of strength and survival

      Anonymous | Education

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

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • Why Medicaid cuts should alarm every doctor

      Ilan Shapiro, MD | Policy
    • When the diagnosis is personal: What my mother’s Alzheimer’s taught me about healing

      Pearl Jones, MD | Conditions
    • Key strategies for smooth EHR transitions in health care

      Sandra Johnson | Tech
    • Reassessing the impact of CDC’s opioid guidelines on chronic pain care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why flashy AI tools won’t fix health care without real infrastructure

      David Carmouche, MD | Tech
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • How dismantling DEI endangers the future of medical care

      Shashank Madhu and Christian Tallo | Education
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • How scales of justice saved a doctor-patient relationship

      Neil Baum, MD | Physician
    • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

      Carlin Lockwood | Policy
    • Why shared decision-making in medicine often fails

      M. Bennet Broner, PhD | Conditions
  • Recent Posts

    • The hidden incentives driving frivolous malpractice lawsuits

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
    • Why what doctors say matters more than you think [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • How Mark Twain would dismantle today’s flawed medical AI

      Neil Baum, MD and Mark Ibsen, MD | Tech
    • Mastering medical presentations: Elevating your impact

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Physician
    • Marketing as a clinician isn’t about selling. It’s about trust.

      Kara Pepper, MD | Physician
    • Graduating from medical school without family: a story of strength and survival

      Anonymous | Education

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...