Articles, Audio, and Videos for Your Inspiration and Learning

Take The Fear Out Of Malpractice Lawsuits

Take The Fear Out Of Malpractice Lawsuits

Being an excellent clinician is no guarantee against malpractice claims. An article in the American Medical News last month reported that even though most physicians will be sued at least once during their career, the majority of cases are without merit. According to...

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Self Care At Practice

Self Care At Practice

Recently I had a conversation with a primary care physician who started her private practice a couple of years ago. She was telling me about the long nights in the office, the worries about financial responsibilities, and the challenges she experienced with a couple...

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Make Time For Fun Events

Make Time For Fun Events

Last Sunday, my husband asked me whether I would join him training our dogs. We have two German shepherds and one Rottweiler. When we go out and train our dogs, we meet with other dog trainers at a dog club about 40 miles away from our house, and so typically we spend...

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Schedule Play Time In Your Life

Schedule Play Time In Your Life

Life is not about working every single minute. What a shame if you never have a single moment to enjoy what matters most to you. Yet, so many physicians work endless hours in their practice to keep up with their work and to get more tasks completed – long after...

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What Are Your Hiring Criteria?

What Are Your Hiring Criteria?

Physicians and practice managers always want to hire the best. However, the most experienced and skilled applicant is not necessarily the most qualified. As professionals, we bring character and experience to the workplace and character is more important than...

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Running Out Of Energy Instead Of Time

Running Out Of Energy Instead Of Time

Yesterday was one of those days when I had a lot of plans for the evening. While planning my day in the morning, I decided that after work I would wash clothes, vacuum the house, and get our guest bedroom ready before our friends arrive tomorrow. I estimated that the...

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Work-Life Balance Starts With You

Work-Life Balance Starts With You

I set the term “physician work-life balance” in Google alerts. Many alerts include job opening announcements, where work-life balance is used as one of the perks for the new position. Recently I read, “We are offering you a tremendous work-life balance both...

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Make Time For The Good Things In Life

Make Time For The Good Things In Life

The key to a fulfilling life is not to become a slave to your work schedule, but to schedule time for the good things in life. When was the last time you just sat in a coffee shop and read a book? When was the last time you enjoyed a really nice evening with your...

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Four Quick Tips To Strengthen Your Marriage

Four Quick Tips To Strengthen Your Marriage

Surgeons married to physicians face more challenges in balancing their personal and professional lives than do surgeons whose partners work in a non-physician field or stay at home, according to research findings published in the November 2011 issue of the Journal of...

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Awareness Lessons At Work

Awareness Lessons At Work

Another hectic day. You are running behind on schedule, and the waiting room is full. With a little attention you can keep your cool. A big concern that many physicians face at work is too much to do all the time. While you are consulting with one patient, in your...

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Making Time For Things That Matter Most

Making Time For Things That Matter Most

Exercise is healthy and necessary; everybody knows this. You probably recommend it to your patients all the time, but only a few commit to it. Years ago, when I was employed and had a controlled schedule with normal work hours, I had my exercise program down pat:...

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What Does Work-Life Balance Mean For You?

What Does Work-Life Balance Mean For You?

If you had to write a prescription for balance for your patients, what would you include? Greater effectiveness at work? More time to play? Better relationships with others, as well as his/her self? Or all of the above? Like other prescriptions, a prescription for...

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Tips on How to Manage Workplace Interruptions

Everyday interruptions at work can be a key barrier to effective time management, patient care and your success. Because your schedule is typically full and each day has only so many hours in it, a handful of even the smallest interruptions can rob you of the time and...

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How Quality Of Life Comes First Again

How Quality Of Life Comes First Again

Many physicians struggle with work-life balance. They feel trapped in their career, and this circumstance takes its toll through increased stress, higher levels of burnout, more medical errors, and sometimes a premature exit from practicing medicine. More and more...

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The Cure for Ineffective Physician Meetings

The Cure for Ineffective Physician Meetings

Like the common cold, ineffective physician meetings are frustrating, time-consuming and energy-draining.  They are also preventable.  Ineffective meetings cost healthcare organizations a loss of time, opportunities, human resources, and therefore, a lot of money....

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Life Is Meant For Both Work And Play

Life Is Meant For Both Work And Play

When was the last time you really played? For you, that could have been laughing with your kids, visiting a dear friend, enjoying a hobby, going on an adventure, or simply relaxing and reading a book.

It’s July, and summer is in full swing. As kids, we enjoyed this season as the time to play, relax and fill up our tanks with energy and motivation for the next school year. So as an adult, what are you using the summer for?

Life is not about working every minute. What a shame if you never have a single moment to enjoy what matters most to you. Yet so many physicians work endless hours in their practice to keep up and complete more, often staying long after everyone else has gone home. The practice is taking all it can get from them.

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Seven Tips To Strengthen Your Delegation Muscle

Seven Tips To Strengthen Your Delegation Muscle

Delegation is an area of personal and professional management that many physicians don’t feel comfortable with.

To succeed as a practicing physician, you must be competent when it comes to clinical delegation. In a busy practice you rely upon your clinical team, and you must effectively delegate authority and responsibility to your supporting staff.

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Quick Tips for a Successful and Happy 2010

Quick Tips for a Successful and Happy 2010

I love the clean-slate feeling that comes with January 1st. At this turning point, I know how important it is to reflect on the past, especially the most difficult times, and allow those life lessons to serve a good purpose for the future. At the same time it is important to move forward and make the new year better than the one before. Here are five tips to guide you to that goal:

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The Struggle for Work-Life Balance

The Struggle for Work-Life Balance

With the signs that healthcare reform is going to happen, the industry may face even lower reimbursements and a larger physician shortage while physician burnout reaches more than 60%.  With this, the struggle for work-life balance becomes more difficult, yet all the...

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Study Finds: Tired, Stressed Docs Make More Mistakes

Study Finds: Tired, Stressed Docs Make More Mistakes

A report in the Sept. 23/30 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association concludes that fatigue isn't the only contributor to medical errors among medical residents but financial woes, family concerns and other elements of distress play also a major...

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Stress And Burnout – A Rising Issue Among Surgeons

Stress And Burnout – A Rising Issue Among Surgeons

A study published in the April 2009 Archives of Surgery revealed that 30 - 38% of surgeons across the country suffer from burnout. That is no surprise to me and I can see these numbers rise rather quickly in the months and years to come if circumstances don’t change...

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Preventing Disruptive Physician Behavior

Preventing Disruptive Physician Behavior

If cancer ran in your family, you would not wait until you contracted the disease before taking action; you would take preventative measures and possibly avoid cancer completely. Disruptive behavior in health care organizations is a cancer that can spread across...

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