Your 2023 Physician Survival Guide

Most physicians decided to practice medicine to make a difference in their communities and save lives. Noticeably absent from their hopes and dreams were the incessant barriers to providing the highest-quality care to those who need it most, the challenges of diagnosing (much less building impactful relationships with) patients in only a few minutes per visit, or an unforeseen multi-year global pandemic that spurred excessive levels of burnout and mental health issues among frontline workers.

As burnout levels show no signs of slowing and physicians and nurses continue to grapple with exhaustion and depression, many frontline workers continue to suffer silently in hopes of someone throwing them a life raft.

Here are some tips from ChenMed’s thought leaders to help healthcare professionals navigate the exciting changes and challenges that 2023 has in store.

3 Tips For Happy, Healthy Physicians in 2023

Acknowledge any pandemic-related trauma you or your team members may have experienced

Healthcare experts have long since recognized a growing need for leadership development in healthcare delivery, with some even urging that the future of healthcare depends on it. But spending much of the past few years on survival mode—also known as the “fight, flight, or freeze” trauma response—healthcare personnel have become accustomed to tuning out all non-essential functions while at work, leaving little room for career or leadership development which are proven to improve morale, productivity, and employee retention. At a critical fork in the road where nurses are leaving the industry in droves, and a massive physician shortage is on the horizon, continuity of care hinges on leadership development.

But can leadership development begin before we address the elephant in the room that is the past few years and the trauma inflicted on healthcare workers? The “Survival Brain” takes over during times of crisis, dimming the “thinking brain,” causing a lack of focus, memory changes, fatigue, emotional reactivity, impulsivity, and more.

While much of the world has seemingly forgotten about the events of the past few years (also arguably a trauma response), ignoring the trauma inflicted on healthcare workers during the pandemic can be detrimental to their mental health as well as the care they provide patients, with medical errors occurring 200% more when workers are burnt out.

Acknowledge and address the pandemic-related trauma on your team by creating a culture that supports and discusses mental health awareness and accessibility to support for healthcare professionals.

Ask for the kind of leadership you need

A successful leadership growth model involves identifying not just how to best lead but how we are best led. In healthcare, demanding schedules and fast-paced work environments leave little time or energy for identifying your needs from leadership, but it is important nonetheless. Even if leadership is not asking the critical questions of, ‘How can I best support you?’ or ‘What do I need to know about you to best lead you?’ doesn’t mean you shouldn’t advocate for yourself and request the support you need to do your job well and stay motivated along the way.

Dr. Tom Hustead, CEO and co-founding partner at The Referent Group, shares that self-awareness and just asking for what you need can go a long way. “When we can learn what we need, we can actually share that with the people who lead us. Even if they don’t ask us [how we are best led], it’s easy to say to your attending or your leader, ‘I just want to let you know: this is what I need to be led well.’

Consider taking a personality test such as Myers-Briggs or DISC to learn valuable insights about your unique communication and work styles. When you know what motivates and inspires you, you can more easily and confidently advocate for the style of leadership that complements your work and aspirations and ward off unnecessary work stress and burnout.

Prioritize your own self-care

According to a survey by the American Nurses Association, 70% of nurses said they put the health, safety, and wellness of their patients before their own. 77% reported they were at a “significant level of risk” for stress in the workplace.

The dangers of “pouring from an empty cup” are endless, especially as a frontline healthcare worker, yet when you consider which professions struggle to prioritize their own self-care, doctors and nurses take the cake.

“It will be very different for everybody, but at some point, you have to schedule some time in your day to reflect. For me, I do it best when I walk. When I walk, I am away from the house, the office, and the distractions. I have a chance to get a little exercise, be outside with a little sun, and be away where I can just reflect and think,” Dr. Hustead shares.

But self-care is unique to everyone, so he encourages dialing in on what self-care means to you personally and then prioritizing it. “Whether that’s doing a devotion, reflecting on things I’ve done or that are going on in my life to make meaning from them and be better from it... You’ve gotta carve that time out where you’re not just doing, doing, doing—and prioritize those things.”

Self-care, especially for physicians, is vital. Carve out time in your daily schedule for self-care, whether it is a workout, meditation, practicing gratefulness, an uninterrupted lunch hour, or prayer—and resist the temptation to let anything infringe on your personal time.

Listen to the full episode of Faisel & Friends with Dr. Tom Hustead, CEO and co-founding partner at The Referent Group. Together we discuss how to help physicians reflect on who they are as authentic leaders, how they show up as leaders in the workplace, and how they can build trust to influence others. Faisel and Friends is a primary care podcast that discusses the state of healthcare in America. Subscribe now to receive the latest episodes!