Category Archives: physician

Who’s Your Team?

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November Gratitude Shorts, Day 17

As I lay on the table in physical therapy today I thought, how fortunate I am to have healthcare insurance that allows me to come every week and get help for my pain and dysfunction. I always leave feeling better, and my therapist knows exactly what’s going on and what to do.

I also have an incredible trainer. She has a sixth sense for my mood and readiness for challenge each session. She is also a lifelong learner, and seeks new knowledge from reading and conferences, among other things. When I share assessments between these two dedicated providers, they each integrate the other’s recommendations and the results are synergistic.

My primary care doctor has ‘the three A’s’ that matter most to us patients, in order: Availability, Affability, and Ability. He also cares for my children, and manages their hypervigilant internist mom with kindness and patience.

My therapist is a Godsend. I don’t have depression or anxiety, nor psychosis or a personality disorder, that I know of.  But I have my share of emotional baggage, and having an objective professional to help me sort and process has proven invaluable in all aspects of my life. Long-established thought, feeling, and behavior patterns show up repeatedly, wearing slightly different outfits each visit. Through therapy I have learned to recognize the party crashers more easily, and manage them better over time.  Sometimes they are allowed to stay, and I make sure they know the rules. Other times they get thrown out, again.  Therapy helps me keep my inner house in order, so that I may welcome and integrate new knowledge and wisdom.

But my team includes more than just my healthcare providers. I have a strong cadre of close friends upon whom I can call at any time, and who will answer always with love and understanding. I recently had a sudden personal dilemma that caused me considerable angst. I emailed a few of these friends and each of them responded immediately with exactly the wisdom I needed… Not necessarily what I wanted, but that’s what true friends do–they tell you the truth with kindness, compassion, and unconditional love.

I also count my parents, sisters, husband, children, neighbors, some colleagues, and many others, as team members. The NFL comes to mind… Choose your team–each is comprised of literally hundreds of people, all working for the shared purpose of making the team, as a whole, the best it can be.

I cannot think of how my team could possibly be better.  And it’s not just about me. I am a member of each other person’s team, too. We all hold each other up.

An idea came to me in conversation this past weekend, when I spoke to a fellow internist about physician burnout and patient satisfaction: We cannot separate my well-being from your well-being, if we are in relationship. And we are all in relationship. So let us take care of one another.

Lessons From Middle School Drama

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November Gratitude Shorts, Day 15

Grateful for the arts today, and theater in particular. This is unusual for me, as I am generally not a theater-goer. But the middle school’s first production of the year occurred this weekend. My son served on crew, so I was excited to see the show!

The students positively awed me with their performance. They adapted three books in what I would describe as visual narrative. The players took turns speaking and acting lines from the books, with minimal props and costumes. The depth of expression these preteens acheived far surpassed my expectations. 

They chose Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson, Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys, and Boy by Roald Dahl. The first two blew me away. As I watched and listened to the autobiographical narratives of one girl’s coming of age during the civil rights movement, and another’s harrowing trauma of Soviet subjugation, I found myself trying to imagine myself in their shoes. 

It makes me wonder, do I do this enough in my work? When I hear my patients’ stories do I try to take their perspective and understand their decision making? I believe I do, mainly because I take the time to ask about their stories. I know this is the best way to counsel them on health behavior change. We make decisions emotionally, and rationalize afterward. So I need to speak to whatever holds meaning for each individual, which I can only know by listening to each person’s story and taking his/her perspective.

A study of medical students by Blatt  et al in 2010 showed that perspective taking can be taught, and can positively impact patient satisfaction. I would argue that it also improves physician satisfaction, and the benefits ripple out to the whole system. 

Where I need to practice perspective taking more is outside the exam room, when I interact with my support staff.  I need to learn more about their workflow, to understand the impact of my frequent and often impromptu requests of them throughout the day.  I need to verify that the stories I tell myself about their behavior at work are accurate (or, likely not–then I need to get curious). I need to ask for and listen to their stories in order to know best how to integrate the team.  I’m so grateful to the middle school drama club and my blogging challenge for helping me uncover this insight tonight. Now to put it into practice tomorrow morning!

Gathering

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November Gratitude Shorts, Day 14

(I’ll write a make-up post for yesterday.)

“I’m always grateful when we gather to educate one another.” –Mark Silver, MD

The last two days held a gathering that filled my mind and my heart. The annual meeting of the American College of Physicians Illinois Chapter brought together almost 200 internists from across the state.  National leaders in cardiology, adult vaccination, physician well-being and numerous other fields spoke with passion and inspiration.  We learned, discussed, and communed.  I reconnected with friends from college, residency, teaching, and practice, and made several new friends. 

In this era when we can look up any information on the internet, the chance to meet in person to share ideas and learnings feels exceptional.  We humans require connection to thrive. Too often we allow the daily grind to interfere with this, and we slowly wither away inside. 

My most sincere thanks to all of my creative, dedicated, and generous colleagues who made this meeting possible!  May we keep our flames lit and hold one another in the light of purpose and caring.