If ...then.... Rituals to make you more reflective in the moment We all have important things we want to accomplish, but there are so many distractions and stumbling blocks that may get in our way. Here, writer Bina Venkataraman shares a startlingly easy strategy to use to defeat future challenges.
Thriving in Scrubs: Making Mistakes One of the most traumatic experiences doctors go through is making mistakes. Though they try to prevent errors at all costs, they will inevitable make mistakes at some point in their training and career. How can they cope with the repercussions – for the patient as well as for themselves, legally, mentally, and emotionally? How can the medical community support one another through the process, instead of silencing the mistake, thus perpetuating shame and guilt?
Thriving in Scrubs: Mothering While Doctoring Becoming pregnant and having children is a part of life for many doctors that challenges their efforts to balance their personal and professional selves. This deeply human experience adds insight into the experiences that patients have, but adds weight to the personal demands and experiences the doctors have.
Thriving in Scrubs: How Much Time Do I Have, Doctor? Fictional accounts of medical encounters often feature the conversation when a patient asks their doctor to predict the outcome of their disease. Doctors in real life have to answer these questions, too, but without the benefit of a pre-written script. Thinking about prognostication means trying to answer difficult questions, but more importantly trying to get to the heart of what the patient may really be wondering. It’s about trying to connect with the heart of what patients need in times of uncertainty about their health. It’s also about understanding how these conversations affect us doctors as people who struggle with some of the same questions ourselves.
Thriving in Scrubs: Normal People At some point in their education, doctors start talking about “normal people” with a mixture of envy and curiosity. Why do doctors feel this distance from others, and from the parts of their own selves outside of their profession? We talk to Nicole, Sarah and Emma, three OBGYN residents at different stages of training about how they recognize, love and forgive the normal parts of themselves. Spoiler alert: it’s all about the friends who keep us from feeling alone.
When to take a stand - and when to let it go Ash Beckhan describes the challenges faced trying to fulfill multiple roles while sticking to one's personal integrity.
Building Physician Resilience • Why do some physicians seem to handle the stress of being a physician well and others become dissatisfied, physically drained, and emotionally exhausted? • This study interviewed 17 physicians with a reputation for resilience in their practice communities. Four key areas contributing to resilience were identified; each of these areas has support in the literature. • While some might argue that resilience is a result of inherited personality traits, some of the factors described in this study as contributing to resilience
Put Conflict Resolution Skills to Work Although confrontation is especially hard for those who are just starting out, or those who are not in positions of authority, avoiding it is a common human trait.
Contributor: Scott PetersenJune 22, 2015Topics:ConflictKeywords:conflict
Conflict management: a primer for doctors in training Conflict in the health arena is a growing concern and is well recognised for doctors in training. Its most extreme expression, workplace violence is on the increase. There is evidence that many conflicts remain unsatisfactorily resolved or unresolved, and result in ongoing issues for staff morale. This paper describes the nature of conflict in the health care system and identifies the difference between conflict and disagreement. Using a conflict resolution model, strategies for dealing with conflict as it arises are explored and tips are provided on how to effectively manage conflict to a satisfactory resolution for all parties.
Contributor: Scott PetersenJune 22, 2015Topics:ConflictKeywords:conflict
Conflict and emotional exhaustion in obstetrician-gynaecologists: a national survey Conflicts over treatment decisions are associated with physicians' empathy, gender, immigration history and level of emotional exhaustion. With respect to the latter, conflict in the clinical encounter may represent an overlooked source or sign of burnout among ob/gyns.
Contributor: Scott PetersenJune 22, 2015Topics:ConflictKeywords:conflict
The walk from "no" to "yes" William Ury, author of "Getting to Yes," offers an elegant, simple (but not easy) way to create agreement in even the most difficult situations — from family conflict to, perhaps, the Middle East. (Filmed at TEDxMidWest.)
Contributor: Scott PetersenJune 22, 2015Topics:ConflictKeywords:conflict
Sunday Dialogue: Conversations between Doctor and Patient A series of letters that debate whether clinicians should be assertive or let the patient decide.
When the Nurse Disagrees with the Doctor by Theresa Brown How we engage in a dialogue when conflict exists between healthcare professionals is often the most important issue.