You’ve probably heard your fair share (or more) about the healthcare reform impact on physicians. It goes without saying that healthcare reform has created a ton of buzz, and if you’re studying to be a physician, much of that buzz can be negative.
There are few things more disheartening than working hard to achieve a career you’re passionate about while simultaneously listening to ominous predictions about the future of said career. (Especially if you’re a sleep-deprived resident with substantial educational debt and an 80-hour workweek.)
To push forward and achieve success, you’re going to have to learn to ignore that negativity — at least to a certain degree. It’s important to be educated and informed about the healthcare reform impact on physicians, but it’s just as essential that you don’t let negative predictions cripple your dreams.
With a shortage of physicians, a weak economy and major shifts in the healthcare system, yes, there are going to be substantial challenges. But instead of thinking of them as challenges, face up to the fact that they’re changes. Changes are inevitable, and though they’re something that makes most of us uncomfortable, we all get through them.
Healthcare will change dramatically in the next several years, but it’s not going to disappear. It needs strong, steadfast individuals (like you) to keep it afloat and point its sails in the best
direction. Now is an excellent time to be a leader and shape the future.
Below are several ways to maintain your sanity when studying medicine starts to feel more like Sisyphus pushing a rock uphill:
Nervous About the Healthcare Reform Impact on Physicians? Practice Positive Reflection
If you’re studying to be a doctor, the endless chatter about the healthcare reform impact on physicians can easily put you in a foul mood. A magazine article here, a negative comment from a colleague there, and before you know it, you’re up in your head panicking, fearing for your future self.
What if I can’t afford the house I want? What if I can’t pay off all my debt?
The best thing to do in such a situation is to take a step back. Sure, your future may be more challenging than you anticipated it would be, but it’s not over — in fact, it’s not even here yet.
Remember why you decided to practice medicine in the first place, and get in tune with those values. Was it because you’re dedicated to helping others? In the face of discouragement, always try to get in touch with your “original fire” — the thoughts, beliefs and emotions that made you passionate about medicine to begin with.
Focus on those thoughts until you feel at ease. It will take some effort (and even some forcefulness) to turn off those persistent negative voices in your head, but it can be done.
Surround Yourself With Optimistic People (and Avoid the Negative Ones When You Can)
The only thing more infectious than a bad ‘80s pop song is a negative colleague. No matter how optimistic or cheerful you are, spending five minutes with a grumpy boss or a gossipy shift partner can put a damper on your day in an instant.
It’s a good idea period to try to surround yourself with as many positive people as possible, but it’s an especially good idea if you’re starting to feel like you live in a “let’s complain about the future of medicine” vortex. Those kinds of attitudes can be toxic to your success — but only if you let them.
Go out of your way to spend more time with people who are optimistic, and make efforts to be more optimistic yourself. You don’t have to engage in negative discussions, either; in most cases, you can leave the room or change the subject.
Learn As Much as You Can About the Healthcare Reform Impact on Physicians
Positive reflection and avoiding excess negativity can help if you’re stressed about the healthcare reform impact on physicians, but that doesn’t mean you should live under a rock — you need to be informed.
Make it a point to keep up with the latest information about healthcare reform, but don’t wait to hear it from your colleagues. Conduct your own research. You’ll feel much more confident about your knowledge, and you can make decisions and form opinions on your own.
Listening to others is important. The key isn’t to tune out every time someone brings up healthcare reform, but to be choosy about what information and attitudes you let affect your outlook. The world will throw a lot of noise, garbage and negativity your way if you let it — put a filter on it!
Get started with your own research on healthcare reform by visiting the Market Trends and Trials Stage in the Adventures in Medicine Resource Library.
Does negative chatter about the healthcare reform impact on physicians get you down?
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Though the views expressed above are solely the writer’s, Bothwell Regional Health Center supports “The Dose with Dr. Goodhook” and is partnering with Adventures in Medicine to create an open, inspiring and insightful community for residents and physicians. Click here to learn more about ways that Bothwell Regional Health Center is making practice purposeful.
