Or to help any physician who may be struggling with burnout. Please forward this blog.
Download this link for the slide deck:
Physician_Burnout_061615
Thank you for taking a few minutes to learn about physician burnout, diagnosis, treatment and care.
We can help you. Our experience is that you are not alone.
For many generations a stigma existed stating that physicians who 1) endure medical school and residency, 2) can endure anything.
Some critics state that such a “social contract” no longer exists in healthcare.
In confidence, physicians often state, “I am not a super hero. Although my family and patients tug at me as if I have some supernatural power. It is exhausting trying to keep up with the demands of insurers and employers.”
Amid our current culture of healthcare reform and continued changes in care, all physicians are forced to adapt. The highest rate of burnout, over 50%, is for mid-career physicians, 11-20 years after residency.
Who is taking care of the physicians?
Like the photo in the opening slide, physicians often state that they wish for a helping hand “On their shoulder.”
All physicians need a helping hand
A coaching question for you is “What do you need?”
A diagnois? A treatment plan? A care program? Something else? We can help you.
The core of physician-patient relationships is trust.
But what do you know about your physician’s values regarding end of life decisions, or women’s reproductive choice? What do you know about the treatment and care suggested by your physician, who may be eligible for a $5,000 referral fee or $2,500 volume price incentive?
Leana Wen, MD, is a Rhodes Scholar and author of “When Doctors Don’t Listen.” Her TED talk, called “What your doctor won’t disclose,” has been viewed by over 1.3 million people.
Her story includes role models from her childhood in China, to a campaign called “Who’s my doctor?” designed to encourage doctors to share their values and be more transparent with their patients.
She states, “we need to change the paradigm of medicine from sickness and fear to openness and healing.“
Like most of you, perhaps, I have demonstrated some expertise at the ability to ride a bicycle since the age of 3.
Unlike most of you, I have perfected that skill in multiple expedition bicycle races, featured on CBS Sport three times, bicycle tours throughout Europe, the maritime provinces, and the U.S. Big deal, right?
So what would happen if I tried to UN-LEARN that skill?
1. In this cool video clip, a bicycle was re-engineered so that when the handlebars were turned one way, the wheel would go in the opposite direction.
2. It took an adult 8 months to LEARN how to ride this new bike.
3. It took his 3-year old son 3 weeks to LEARN how to ride this new bike.
What do these two facts say about the brain’s ability to learn a new behavior, then to unlearn that behavior after 8 months of reinforcement?
(Pause and reflect here…)
One of my Dartmouth College professors, in an obtuse course called Developmental PsychoBiology, taught me that we have neural pathways that reinforce certain behaviors. Call them habits. When we practice using our right hand with a fork to eat spaghetti, we can reinforce that pattern until it becomes “learned.” If we want to eat spaghetti with chopsticks we need to learn a new neural pattern, until it becomes a habit.
Too many adults say “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” Nonsense. There is abundant empirical evidence to the contrary, for both dogs and humans. Such a perspective is based upon ignorance.
So an executive coaching question may be, “What new behaviors do you need to learn?”
Examples include:
calling 10 former friends to say “Hello, how are you? I miss you.”
being kind to someone who needs kindness
supporting the strengths of your loved ones, immediately, by doing or saying something complimentary and true. Immediately. Repeatedly.
learning a new skill, such as how to play the banjo, speak Spanish, or write javascript
self-advocate for that promotion or new challenge at work
re-design your career or future
If you need a boost (and we all need a boost at times) then give me a call today.
I’d like to know what you are interested in doing. Or UN-Learning.
I have been asked to submit 6-8 articles for publication in Professional Safety, the professional journal for the American Society of Safety Engineers.
Here are the published titles from 2014:
1. “Succession Planning 101.” March, 2014. p. 35. PS_Article_SuccessionPlanning_3.2014
Yesterday I was asked to “step in” as a speaker for the Tennessee Safety Congress on Monday, July 21, 2014 in Nashville, TN, at the Opryland Conference Center. Today is Friday. I said, “Sure. Glad to help.”
The title is “Trends in Safety Leadership” and the main points include data and examples on 1) Frontline Decision Making, 2) Privacy and Control, and 3) technology.
The powerpoint content is located here: TN Safety Congress
Share this slide deck with your colleagues and friends, then contact us.
I have also added content from recently published articles in Professional Safety, the Journal of The American Society of Safety Engineers here for your convenience.
Initial consultations are free. Please give me a call at 704.995.6647 to discuss trends at your business.
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