Latest Journal Posts
Where Are Your Communities?
People frequently ask me what I miss since I stopped practicing medicine nearly 4 years ago. The answer is remarkably simple and easy, yet I hadn’t anticipated it before the change.
Learn to Round on Yourself
You already know how to round on patients. Now you need to learn how to round on yourself. Self awareness is critical to your health and effectiveness as a physician. Your physical, emotional and mental health.
Why Finished is Better Than Perfect
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned about perfectionism is that done is better than perfect. In my medical school and residency, we learned about “The Enemy”, a shortened version of “The enemy of good is better.” This is a well-known aphorism that originated in the 1700s and not in medicine.
The Pernicious Pursuit of Perfection
Perfectionism seems to help physicians succeed in school and in training. Chasing perfection appears to be the acceptable standard during that time. But after we arrive at our intended destination–medical practice–it can make our life miserable if we continue to adhere to it. Not just work life. All life. It is no way to create a happy life because it adversely affects our relationships, both with ourselves and with others.
Draw Your Boundaries
This month we’re focusing on boundaries, a topic near and dear to my heart and mind. Boundaries help keep physicians functioning at our best by creating the space we need between ourselves and other people, events, and things. This space can also help prevent burnout. Coaching can help you set and maintain boundaries that are healthy for you.
The Right to Boundaries
World events have me thinking about boundaries. Boundaries are created over time and they often change for a variety of reasons. So too are our human boundaries. Physicians need boundaries as well to function at their best. We can mean the physical boundaries of our skin or the cell’s boundaries of membranes. Or we mean the psychological or social boundaries that we live with, and sometimes without. These boundaries can protect us from burnout and enhance our sense of well-being.
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