An excerpt from A Leader’s Guide to Giving a Memorable Speech: How to Deliver a Message and Captivate an Audience.
“The most powerful words in English are ‘tell me a story.'”
—Pat Conroy, author of The Prince of Tides and The Great Santini
“Over the years I have become convinced that we …
People remember stories in your speech. The rest fades away.
As someone trained in Brené Brown’s curriculum for helping professionals, vulnerability is my jam.
As a physician? Not so much.
The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown already burned-out health care providers into the arena with more than just a shortage of equipment. We are now expected to risk our own lives caring for others, which was not part of the original job description. Medical providers are not Marines, nor do we work for …
Vulnerability is challenging but necessary for health care professionals
We are living in unprecedented times. Times filled with emotion and very little hard science. We are faced with the rapid spread of a new disease that has devastating consequences. The rapid spread is overwhelming our system that is designed for a steady state. Periodically, we are faced with events that overwhelm our system; mass shootings are a prime example. The duration of those events is measured in hours. We …
Combining emotion and reason in decision making
We write personal statements when we apply to medical school and residency. They serve as a sort of window to our soul, our reflections and aspirations, our physician vision and mission. I was doing some soul-searching, and I found my medical school personal statement. The following is a snippet from it:
I believe that the purpose of medicine, of the restoration of health, is to remind people of their own mortality …
The new physician personal statement
New York University residents are seeking compensation for the increased risk they face as they are called to the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic, but leadership has declined their request for hazard pay and now stands accused on social media of gaslighting residents.
Residents created a petition, addressed to NYU Langone Medical Center leadership, outlining the increased risk they face as the demand placed on the hospital system “skyrockets.” They ask for …
Is asking for hazard pay “not becoming of a compassionate and caring physician”?
I accepted my job as chair of the department of pathology at the University of Arkansas before I turned 40, though I didn’t start until after my birthday. I don’t know if I was the youngest chair in the country, but I think I was the only one with a car seat and a spare diaper in my purse. My memories of those first few months are still vivid, even …
How microaggressions contribute to impostor syndrome
About a decade ago, I had my first doctor-client. And part of what they wanted to discuss was budgeting in order to save more. They just got new jobs and wanted some general planning for the sake of making good decisions.
Software for budgeting and spending history didn’t exist the way it does now. I wanted to provide the best help I could on this topic, and I knew about budgeting, …
The doctor’s budget — remastered
Physicians are, without a doubt, some of the most educated professionals around. You spend endless hours studying, taking tests, and jumping through academic hoops in the name of good grades and patient care. But is the education you are receiving truly preparing you for the practice of medicine today?
Health care is now considered almost exclusively a business term. And yet there is a lack of business taught in medical school. …
Lack of professional and personal financial literacy is a primary driver of burnout
Eighty-five percent of health care facilities used locum tenens temporary doctors in 2019 to address their staffing shortages or gaps in coverage.
Physicians are turning to locum tenens work to allow them more flexibility, extra income, the ability to travel, and exposure to new and evolving patient care environments. But what they are likely not aware of is the price tag on their heads if or when they decide to consider …
Interested in locum tenens? Beware of fees.
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 …
Be the physician who supports other doctors
For weeks, the news has been all about COVID-19 and its impact beyond Wuhan, where it emerged. Just two days ago, in fact, the first case reports surfaced in the county where I live. Overnight, preparations have leapt a notch. Many will work from home. Students will learn online. Even the gym where I climb with my son e-mailed regarding steps to minimize transmission. Like most of you, however, by …
4 injuries all physicians face
I recently attended a cardiology conference where a dear friend of mine was presenting on the topic of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. She discussed how fibrosis within the ventricle causes diastolic dysfunction, an inability of the myocardium to relax. My ears perked up. Just the week before, while on vacation, I personally experienced the inability to relax.
Though I was free to lounge around New Orleans while my husband attended the annual CHEST …
5 steps to improve your diastolic dysfunction of life
The first step on any journey is having a direction to follow. When you decided to become a physician, you no doubt sought out advice from trusted mentors: advisors, other physicians, even peers who had traveled that road before you.
Becoming a physician likely started as an abstract thought that became all-consuming. Somewhere along the line, your everyday life revolved around school, training, procedures … you get the picture. Now that …
Medicine is hard work but there are ways to do the job more effectively and efficiently
Recently, I realized that something needed to change in my family life. With three busy daughters at three different schools who participate in multiple activities along with my full-time job as an anesthesiologist, my life depended on accurate and concise communication. However, this was the third time in a week that a ball had been dropped between my husband and me.
This time it resulted in my middle daughter, Laini, being …
Closed-loop communications: Good for codes and for marriage
It’s 2020, and many of us are more motivated than ever. We want to get fit, eat healthier, and continue to survive residency. While these are noteworthy goals, consider one more thing: making money doing something you love … outside of medicine. A.k.a., start a side hustle. If you’re unsure of where to start, here are a few side gigs to pursue as a resident.
Start a blog
For those who love …
Side gigs medical residents can consider
Medical residents and fellows have always been in an interesting situation. They are embarking on the foothills of their career and obtaining the skills and knowledge they need to press forward. They are likely in the most idealistic mindset they’ll ever be in their career, and they’re networking with their future general practitioners and specialists; it’s an exciting time of life.
One twist is that they have …
4 financial mistakes medical residents make and how to avoid them
Most physicians have spent decades training for the day that they see their first patient or perform their first surgery. This extended time involved to become a physician does not leave a lot of spare time in college or medical school for most physicians to take any significant coursework in economics, finance, or investing. Yet, physicians have a tremendous amount of knowledge with regards to all aspects of health …
A physician in the venture capital world
I recently read a medical school commencement, delivered by a physician, that was both inspiring and sadly reminiscent of what physicians should aspire to throughout their careers.
This physician relayed how patients throughout her training and career had provided her with moments of clarity, helping her identify the “why” she chose a career in medicine. She went so far as to describe how a group of patients saved her from choosing …
Entitlement, arrogance, and isolation in modern-day medical practice
With the escalating pressures on hospitals, health care facilities, and practitioners to be cost-effective, it is increasingly difficult to justify spending money on education and training. Education and training are expensive when adding together the costs of curriculum development and educators. While finding the right person for the job is important in getting the job done, most, if not all, management would agree that the “right” person includes appropriate education, …
Continuing medical education: Why it’s important and how to make it effective
Finances were reported as the second leading cause of physician depression for men and women in 2018.
Doctors, like anyone else, face normal challenges that life throws at them. Additionally, they carry a huge weight on their shoulders as they go through rigorous training, are trained to put patients first, and are expected to increase …
Here’s why doctors are financially depressed
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