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radical-rest-doing-less

Radical rest: Why doing less made me a better doctor

Let me confess something that might sound ridiculous coming from a doctor: for most of my career, I treated rest like a threat. A sign of weakness. A guilty pleasure to be earned only after I’d answered every email, seen every patient, signed off every note, and probably rotated the tires on someone else’s car just to be safe.

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A split image of a dignified man: a physician on the left and an airline captain on the right, complete with a captain's uniform, hat, and a “Sully”-style mustache.

Resilience and true grit (Part 2)

Is the motive behind resilience training to retain staff so that the system can continue to stay revenue-positive, or is it an investment in the ultimate resource of medicine, the human one?

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A mature male physician with silver hair and a calm, authoritative expression, wearing a white lab coat and a surgical mask. He has reached the top of Mt Everest and is delighted. Following him is another dignified female physician in the same attire.

Resilience and true grit (Part 1)

I am just a physician who has spent 20+ years in the ER, had a few leadership roles along the way (which makes for a mildly robust LinkedIn profile), and nurtured some wisdom too. I think that is enough.

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Toddler Riding Bicycle on Road

Creating a culture of psychological safety in medicine

Psychological safety, defined as a shared belief that the team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking, is a critical component of effective healthcare delivery. Yet, numerous reports and studies indicate that a lack of psychological safety persists in many healthcare settings, leading to adverse outcomes for both patients and providers.

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Kindness for physicians

Kindness for physicians: Good for everyone

At a recent Physicians Anonymous meeting, we discussed an article on random acts of kindness. Researchers gave 84 random people in a wintry Chicago park free hot chocolates. They were then given the choice to gift it to another or keep it for themselves. Guess what happened?

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Female doctor in mask Burnout in women physicians

Burnout in women physicians

Women physicians still face disproportionate challenges within their medical careers compared to men. Unsurprisingly, those women who face more work-related stressors report less satisfaction with their careers, and more burnout occurs in female doctors.

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Physician gratitude practice

Physician gratitude practice

In a previous article, we explored the evidence base for gratitude. In this article, we illustrate 7 physician gratitude practices that may help on a level. We also note that no one intervention is a panacea for the core systemic issues causing the current epidemic of physician burnout and moral injury.

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physician peer support programs

Successful physician peer support programs

If there is anything positive to come from this pandemic, it is the realization of the importance of peer support. Physician peer support programs with an emphasis on preventing burnout and growing community have are being piloted and implemented in different ways and organizations around the country.

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Kintsugi object showing physicians rebuilding happier

Kintsugi: Physicians rebuilding happier

For those of us who survive the trauma of medicine, there is indeed the possibility of physicians rebuilding happier, stronger, maybe even smarter. Like a shattered vase repaired with gold running through it, post-traumatic growth for physicians is a thing.

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Physician loneliness operating room

How to beat physician loneliness (Part 1)

We humans are wired for connection. Our ancestors evolved as social beings because, simply, working together as a band of humanoids increased their chances of survival and reproduction. Multiple studies have shown that collaboration engenders survival advantage. Yet physician loneliness is a real thing.

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In this article, we look at the connection between charting and physician burnout, and innovations to try and reduce charting-related fatigue.

Charting physician burnout

In this article, we look at the connection between charting and physician burnout. We also examine innovations to try and reduce charting-related fatigue and physician burnout.

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Physician burnout history

Physician burnout history

In this article, we explore the history of the “burnout syndrome” in general and as it relates to physicians specifically. Why is physician burnout history important?

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Those left behind

Reach out to your loved ones, and be honest. Trust me, they will help you. You are loved in more ways than you can imagine, because you are one unique lovable bright spot in this world. So stay with us and shine on us. This a Physicians Anonymous co-founder’s story of how she lost a spouse to suicide.

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