"Physicians suffer Imposter Syndrome more than other US Workers"

A headline that has every doctor and nurse nodding their head in agreement and my personal "DUH of the Week" in healthcare industry news.

Fortunately, the authors put together some pretty good recommendations for action steps in the end. Check it out. 

A new study from Tait Shanafelt MD, et al at Stanford is out:

Imposter Phenomenon in US Physicians Relative to the US Working Population

We All Know This is True and remember how it started way back in Medical School.

The inner voice says, "What if they find out?"
... and you are off to the Shame and Guilt Olympics.

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The Blueprint for your Physician Wellness Strategy
Register for the Complete Webinar Replay Video

We share our 12 year, 40,000 doctor experience preventing physician burnout and our corporate wellness strategy template.

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• C-suite and other Senior Healthcare Leaders
• All Physicians, Staff and Administrators interested in playing a role in the Wellness Strategy going forward

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Did you know that your emotional responses to disaster have a known structure and a logical order you will find comforting?

I knew about the symptoms of physician burnout, Kubler-Ross and her stages, even stages of quitting smoking, but until today I had never been introduced to Zunin and Myers and the 6 Stages of Normal Human Emotional Response to Disaster.

This is a fascinating progression and strikes true for my experience of COVID so far. These stages are intertwined with physician burnout, PTSD and so many other normal and abnormal psychological responses to difficulty and struggle.

Stop Physician Burnout - Cognitive Ergonomics is the DUH of the Day

[  RANT ON  ]

Physician Leadership:
A Simple Communication Tool to Avoid the Disruptive Doctor Label (video training)

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This is Blog Post #274
Complete Blog Library is Here
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If you invite physicians into your management or leadership meetings, we will diagnose the problems in the system of care with the same speed and skill we diagnose disease in our patients.

Sooner or later we will also run into any number of situations that qualify as hypocrisy: where the organization says one thing and does something completely different.

Nothing in this world upsets a physician leader more than hypocrisy. 

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Related:
Download the full Disruptive Physician Toolkit Here
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We see it right away, like a flashing red light. It drives us to shout, thump tables, foam at the lips and more. This undisciplined behavior results in many doctors being labeled a "disruptive physician" and their completely legitimate concerns downplayed or ignored by the other senior leaders at the table. This outright dismissal of legitimate concerns can be a major cause of physician burnout for some doctors.

Here is a Simple Communication Tool to Completely Avoid Being Labeled Disruptive and get your concerns addressed.

What could be worse than COVID 19 Wave Four in a State with a 41% vaccination rate?

How about a Cat 4 Hurricane slapped right across your face at the very same time.

My biggest fear is that this one-two punch will destroy the healthcare delivery system in New Orleans, the state of Louisiana and any other state in IDA's path.

The buildings may remain standing, my concern is the will of the people in the front lines.

I am a big, old, straight, American cis male physician, showered in white privilege and given a free pass in the realm of bias and discrimination. 

I have coached hundreds of burned out physicians over the last 12 years. Our conversations are intimate and authentic for a simple reason; there is no change without first telling the truth.

Whenever one of my coaching clients varies from my personal characteristics - in terms of race, ethnicity, gender, native language, sexual orientation or any other variable - we both know that bias and discrimination play some role in their burnout. They tell me the truth of what is going on. I tell them when I see subtle and obvious bias and discrimination from my position of privilege.

[I freely acknowledge I did not earn this position. It is only a reflection of the random combination of chromosomes that looks back at me from the mirror in the morning. As a coach it offers me the equivalent of a Litmus Test: I ask, "if it was me instead of my client in this situation, would I be treated the same way?" If the answer is NO, bias and discrimination is in play.]

For these physicians, each week contains a subset of words and deeds that hurt. The aggressors may be patients, staff, the general population or even leaders and physician colleagues.

• Some hurt on purpose with looks, language and actions used deliberately to wound the physician as a human being.
• Others are unconsciously woven into the fabric of our society and the healthcare system itself. 

TWO (obvious) QUESTIONS:

1) Just how often do physicians who are not white and not cis males experience these feelings of bias and discrimination in the course of their work life?

2) Is the frequency of these "microaggressions" associated with burnout in these doctors?

A recent study answers both.

• 94% experienced sexist microaggressions
• 81% experienced racist microaggressions
• Each and both were linked to the physician's burnout risk

Let me show you why these results (which might seem shocking to you) are what I consider to be a best case scenario.

And ... let me ask you if this strikes you as important new information or an obvious "DUH of the Day"?

Patient Satisfaction should NEVER be 100%

Patient Satisfaction - or the "Patient Experience" is a key quality indicator for organizations and a potential bonus point for the individual physician.

Stop Physician Burnout: One step to more of what you really want in your practice.

Desire is an interesting and disempowering emotion. When you really, really, really want things to be different and you wake up the next day -- and it is exactly the same as yesterday -- well that is just disappointing to say the least.

If your practice is not what you dreamed it would be ... that difference between desire and reality can be a major source of stress and burnout. 

And yet there is great power in desire/longing/dreams and vision when you have a clear target and the skills to move in that direction. This is what got you through Medical School and Residency - a clear finish line and a way to get there.

You are out in your own practice now. You have the freedom and responsibility to determine what your practice looks like and how it feels ... for you and your family. It is rare that you will find what you seek on someone else's job description.

You will need to change things up to get what you really want in your practice/career/life. This is how you put stress and burnout to its highest and best use.