An article by the American Medical News dated January 15, 2007, reports, “according to a nationwide survey of physicians six (6) in ten (10) doctors have considered leaving medicine because they are discouraged by the health care system.”
As a result, more and more physicians suffer from sagging morale, burnout and depression, and the support from spouses and other family members is more important than every before.
Unfortunately, most physicians stress out more over circumstances where they have little or no influence such as low reimbursement rates, loss of autonomy and bureaucratic red tape just to mention a few.
What would happen if physicians only stressed out over circumstances they could change? How would our healthcare system and their life quality improve?Reinhold Niebuhr says, “Grant me the courage to change what I can change, the strength to accept what I can’t, and the wisdom to tell the difference.”Most of the times we focus too much on the things that we cannot change and bang our heads on the wall instead of focusing on things where we have the power to change and look for solutions.
But we cannot change our situation if we don’t change our mind and belief system first.
As Gregg Broffman, MD, medical director of Lifetime Health Medical Group in Buffalo, N.Y., said “No one ever said, ‘Folks, the world is going to change professionally for you, not only technologically, but also in the way that business is done.”
It is time to change and to improve if you don’t want to continue complaining about the same things year in and year out. So what can you do to include improvements in your life and boost your morale?
1. Control stress
This might sound trivial to you but if you feel too stressed in your life, you won’t be open for change, you won’t have the RAM capacity in your brain to process new information. Learning more effective ways of living and practicing medicine requires a calm and focused environment with a manageable amount of stress and pressure.
To learn ways to control stress, visit http://www.balancedphysician.com/
2. Step outside of your box
People who stay inside of their box get stuck. Insanity is doing the same things and expecting different results. So, step outside of your box, try different ways to accomplish a task, read a book that is outside of your usual genre, try out hobbies that you have never done before. Stepping outside of the box gives you a different perspective of your situation and challenges.
3. Learn from accomplished colleagues
Being a successful and fulfilled physician in today’s healthcare environment isn’t easy but also isn’t impossible. So many physicians have developed their own formula for professional success and personal well-being. Learn from them, get in contact with them. Ask them questions. And then develop your own formula.
4. Stop listening to the ‘naysayers’
Some people enjoy complaining. They sometimes get their energy from complaining. But listening to naysayers can be very draining and discouraging. People and their attitude either give us energy or take energy away from us. Naysayers can only complain but in general cannot provide solutions. Therefore the best approach is to stay away from them. Establish your boundaries by letting them know that you do not want to hear their complaints anymore. If they don’t honor your request, step away.
5. Take small actions
Improvements won’t happen without action. Therefore think of one little step that you can do each day that leads you to long-term improvement.
6. Get support from a mentor or coach
It can be challenging sometimes to make major improvements by yourself and stay motivated along the way. Our success in life is proportionate to our ability to ask for help. Therefore, if you want to succeed with your action plan, consider working with a mentor or a physician coach. They can assist you in minimizing mistakes and maximizing your efforts. And you will have so much fun along the way.
Medicine has not only become a field with bigger limitations but also with new opportunities. It is up to you if you are open to seize them.
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