In the January issue of the Atlanta Hospital News Susan K. Blank M.D. wrote an article on “2009 could bring an increase in drug abuse among healthcare professionals”. In this article, Dr. Blank explains that the economic situation and the financial uncertainty in the years to come can lead to an increased drug and alcohol abuse not only among the common population but also particularly among health care providers. Certain studies have shown that healthcare industry workers are more prone to drug abuse. Studies in the UK have shown that as many as 15% of medical professionals will abuse drugs or alcohol sometime in their career, with painkillers and sleeping pills the most common type of drug abused by medical professionals.
She continues “A complicating factor inherent in the problem of doctors abusing drugs is the reluctance of their fellow professionals to report their suspicion and the general unwillingness of the impaired physician to suffer the humiliation that attends a confession of his or her disease.”
You can read the entire article here at http://bluetoad.com/display_article.php?id=99942
After reading this article, I was reminded again about the benefits of coaching for physicians. In my work as a coach, I don’t talk with my clients about their alcohol or drug consume; it is none of my business; I am not a therapist, and I am not a psychiatrist, I am their coach.
I support physicians who want to play a bigger game, who are ready to face what is not working in their practice and or life, and we strategize the tools and methods to make improvements in a time-efficient way!
In our conversations my clients and I talk about their stressors, we talk about how they can streamline their responsibilities, simplify their lives, approach and resolve difficult conversations with colleagues or staff members. We talk about time wasters, we establish challenging goals, we are celebrating progress and wins … we just talk about so many things. At the end of each conversation they walk away with an action plan to tackle and solve some of the issues, they realize how they shifted their perception about a specific topic, and suddenly they feel a sense of relief or empowerment.
When we wrap up our coaching relationship, I always ask my physician players how their life has shifted / changed over the months. And many times I heard some of them say “ever since I have been working with you / facing these issues, I come home, and I don’t have the desire to pour a glass of wine or beer; I drink less, I sleep better, the energy at home is less tense. Even my family notices that I am more relaxed and present.”
I am proud of my “players” being honest with themselves and for themselves. Again, most of the time this is the first time that I hear from them that they had consumed more alcohol than they wanted to. They now have the awareness that alcohol didn’t fix their situation; just suppressed it. At the same time, they are now having the awareness and the tools to resolve whatever it is bugging them and that takes away the thirst and desire for alcohol.
Again, coaching is not an intervention for physicians who are addicted to drugs or alcohols; however if you are noticing that you drink more alcohol now than you have in the past, and you have been doing that because you feel frustrated with a certain situation in your practice and / or life, then physician coaching can be the perfect tool for you to move beyond it.
If you want to learn more about coaching, sign up for a complimentary consultation.
Iris Grimm
www.BalancedPhysician.com