Career and Life Planning Guidebook for Medical Residents

Physician Wellness The recognition of burnout and its potential to wreak havoc on medical students, residents and physicians has created a unique moment in the realm of medical education and the medical community itself. We now find ourselves tasked with the challenge of how to heal ourselves. Creating an effective physician wellness program not only involves knowing what resources to provide to those in need, it is also imperative to be able to identify what it means to be well. Unlike the previous chapter that discussed the disease of physician burnout, this chapter will give guidance and information on how to develop physician wellness programming as a measure of “preventative care” to delay the onset of this disease; it will also review how and when to use “treatment strategies” for those physicians already showing symptoms of burnout. This chapter provides resources for medical students, residents, and physicians to define what it means to be well for them, assess their level of stress, identify resources for stress reduction and self-resiliency, and develop their own personal “toolkit” to carry through their medical career. . 1. Physician Heal Thyself: why it’s vital to be well 2. Tick-tock: the ins and outs of time management 3. It’s all about the boundaries 4. There’s an app for that (review apps used for mental health) 5. Incorporating wellness into every day 6. Becoming whole as a physician and a person; finding your why • Define work-life balance. • Understand how to identify your roles as a new physician. • Develop effective strategies for setting boundaries without lingering guilt. • Learn the Eisenhower Matrix and how to apply it effectively. • Learn how to create “pockets of time” in your workday to increase efficiency and decrease “pajama time” working at home. • Develop tools to maximize your physical and mental health. • Improve your interpersonal skills to strengthen personal and professional relationships. • Manage the mental strain and powerful emotions associated with the role of physician. • Find your “why” and rediscover the joy of medi- cine by creating structure, building resilience, and finding purpose as a physician and as a person who is whole. L E T ’ S G E T S T A R T E D In This Chapter O U T L I N E G O A L S 51 WWW.PHYSICIANCAREERPLANNING.COM