“I would encourage you to see amazing women on social media for who they are in the future. Maybe figure out where they have been and what they are working toward. Maybe even figure out how ways to help each other solve the problems this country faces. Instead of looking at someone’s appearance, listen to their story. You got unlucky with me; you can’t intimidate someone who has …
Sexual harassment in medicine [PODCAST]
As I write this, I’m struggling with the fact that I haven’t “finished my work for the day.” My inbox has unread emails. My task list is bursting. I have unfinished laundry/ chores/ dishes. I told myself, “I don’t have time to sit and write an article!”
And yet – the seed had been planted. I could no longer ignore the whisper that said, “You have a story to tell. And …
An argument against time management
Ballet dancers and doctors are essentially the same people. Long before I entered medicine, ballet taught me the skills that made me successful in my clinical practice. I was a life-long learner. I improved my skills with daily practice. I was creative with limited resources. I strived for excellence and was rewarded for these efforts. The skills I learned as a professional ballet dancer prepared me well for medicine.
There was …
Perfectionism is your nemesis, not your superpower
An excerpt from All Physicians are Leaders: Reflections on Inspiring Change Together for Better Healthcare.
In times of uncertainty, human behavior often makes people resort to less-than-stellar behaviors; unhealthy personal environments can become manifest as well. Often, these coincide with health care being used more frequently and the safe haven of health care delivery being sought. …
Professionalism: We must also draw on our own human qualities to succeed
When I read The Broke Diaries, it was like reading my financial autobiography in medical school. I remember negotiating with the dry-cleaner to split my bill so that I could only pay for one dress and pick the rest up later. Looking forward to making some furniture craft for my apartment on Spring break while the rest of my classmates were going to some exotic Island …
How financial independence evolution shaped the end of my medical career
Just as providers have reimagined their clinical and business models in light of the pandemic, there is an opportunity to reimagine their relationship with health plans. Particularly in the context of evolving value-based contracts, there are a variety of “asks” that are likely to find receptive health plans. Three issues that are particularly important to health plans are administrative efficiency, quality measures, and overall cost of care. Each one creates …
3 ways health plans can help providers
Every physician has had the experience. The moment you ask yourself, “Why am I doing this?”
It could be when you look into the waiting room where there are more patients to be seen and know if you take a break, it will set you back even further.
It could be on the final stretch of the 24-hour shift that redefined the meaning of the word “nonstop.”
It could be the third time …
3 steps for physicians to shift from stuck to unstoppable
Changing direction once established is not easy, but it can be rewarding. I recently read the essay on KevinMD (“How this physician escaped the system“) from a physician who shifted gears to her own business after some discouraging experiences in “the system.” During her residency, her attending physician asked her what her purpose was in becoming a physician. To her credit, she said that her goals …
It’s never too late for physicians to change directions and land new jobs
I am a Gen X’er. We are a generation that I think is most aptly described as hardworking, rule-following, law-abiding, good, and productive citizens. That’s a good thing, right? Most of the time, sure. Where we go wrong is we work hard, follow the rules, and do what we are told even when our hearts are not in it. I have too many times overheard, and if I am being …
It’s time to take a page from Gen Y and challenge the status quo
Creating the ideal life is hard, but it can be especially difficult in medicine, where the pressures and daily stresses are significant. What simple steps can you take to live your best physician life? Here are some action items to consider:
Follow your values. Most of us pursued medicine to help others, but were there other reasons that inspired you to dedicate a decade of your life to become a doctor? …
How to create a life you love in medicine
When I think about boundaries, I am struck by how individual, varied, and unique each of our own personal definitions of boundaries can be. For one person, it is the physical boundary between the external world and our property. For another, the emotional and relational boundary between physician and patient. For many, the physical, emotional, and energy boundary between work and home. And often the most difficult, the boundary between …
Boundaries as a woman physician
Do you routinely make deadlines for meeting registrations? Paper revisions? Promotion and submissions? Most physicians easily make professional deadlines, but how often do you honor commitments to yourself?
Similarly, do you have a friend who plans to go with you to the gym and then is always a no-show? Do you have a hypercritical friend who routinely tells you, “you are a terrible mom!”? Do you have a weirdo roommate who …
Make full professor faster by working less and not sacrificing you: a Valentine’s Day message
Physicians are overwhelmed and burned out. We have an epidemic of “too busy.” Many of us think we could get so much more accomplished if we had more time. Why aren’t we taking the time? Doctors need to start taking growth days. These aren’t sick days, mental health days or vacation days. Growth days are days strategically taken during the month that are specifically meant for personal growth. This could …
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I knew this day would come, when my survival would depend on my ability to reframe a covenant once made. Medicine, the knight in shining armor that has given me livelihood and legacy has taken so much. I willingly surrendered for the title of physician and the responsibility and privilege of being a healer. But relentlessly, Western medicine has tried to strip me of me so I would robotically serve …
When medicine is the virus that ails you
I love metaphors. I think they can be so powerful and can convey so much, sometimes with just a few words.
One metaphor we use in coaching to describe the coach’s role in a session with their client is that of a swimming pool. The client is in the swimming pool, and as the coach we have the job of not jumping in the pool with them.
Imagine you …
The case for physician peer coaching
“Wrong! The most important part of your job is to make money.” I will never forget those words from an attending in residency – though I did not know it at the time, it was a pivotal moment in my decision to pursue a nontraditional route in medicine. I loved my patients; I loved the critical thinking required for taking care of them, I loved the scientific knowledge underlying the …
How this physician escaped the system
A mid-life crisis, re-assessment, re-envision. Hollywood’s cliché version epitomized by Chevy Chase driving the “family truckster” while flirting with Christie Brinkley and later trying to skinny-dip with her. Of course, it is more than that.
Researcher, Brene Brown, calls it the unraveling. It is a pause. Turning off auto-pilot. A re-evaluation of goals. Clinically, it is called a mid-life transition or stage of adult development. It can be midlife or mid-career …
A physician’s mid-career and mid-life success
A backlog is a terrible thing, isn’t it? It’s certainly something that we often choose to hide as physicians. We use it as a source of shame, guilt, frustration, and overwhelm. Many physicians have had their jobs threatened, or even lost their jobs, due to mountains of unfinished charts or inboxes.
When you understand this, you can see why you would keep that sort of thing to yourself. Every day the …
Physicians: How taking care of the backlog and can help take care of yourself
Negotiations are not just for the job interview and annual review. We negotiate every day. Negotiating in place can be a powerful mechanism to make your current job a better fit.
The key to effective negotiations is to think like the boss. What are her concerns, goals, and interests? How can you align your goals with those of the boss and institution so that everyone wins?
At every point where you are …
14 tips when negotiating a physician job
Faced with starting a women’s cervical cancer program at 12,000 feet at the top of the world in the Himalayas was daunting. I had no idea how I was going to do it. I had my colposcope (a microscope to see the cervix) and a few speculums that I hoped would make the two-day trip through the mountains on a barely …
A new way to look at leadership: Embrace the commitment
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