What Kind of Doctor Will You Become? Nurturing Well-being in Medicine

This article was orginally published in Amna Shabbir Wellness Coaching's Blog here

This question is for all doctors.

Firstly the medical trainees, medical students, residents, and fellows.

You are all learning and growing faster than ever. You all will have sufficient clinical acumen and tests that will test that.

But- will you be the kind of doctor that will genuinely care for their own needs also?

Will you care for your well-being before, during, and after the inevitable burnout and moral injury that our healthcare system will inflict on you? 

Will you recognize that physicians, before you have suffered at the behest of ignoring self-care and later the losses, were too catastrophic, sometimes even irreversible…

What kind of doctor will you become?

Next, this question is for all the early, mid, and late-career physicians. 

We are all constantly evolving and growing whether we like it or not. 

Will you, break old ingrained patterns of flawed thinking which have led you to the altar of internal emptiness?

Will you ever halt and salute yourself for all the incredible patient victories you have had? 

For the academic successes, you have worked so hard to achieve?

And if you are a woman physician, will you take a moment to note that you have done medicine, and you have surely done more! Breaking barriers every step of the way. You have carried that invisible workload with such grace and poise.

Will you allow the door of self-kindness to crack open, maybe, just a tiny bit?  

Will you stop and recognize that it is OK to be vulnerable?

Will you then decide, now, is the time to get some help? 

And recognize, shame in medicine has no place anywhere and yet can be found everywhere.

 And you can change the game. 

Will you march with other doctors caring for physician wellness and advocate for change in our ranks? 

Change where we not only care for our patients but also care for each other.

Care for our young and not subject them to the same tough, back-breaking learning techniques we were exposed to?

My dear friends, this is the question for you today and always:

“What kind of doctor will you become?"