Are you an overworked doctor who has put aside many of the joys of life because you have been striving for years to reach the pinnacle of the medical profession wherever or whatever you perceive that to be?
You have had years of studying Medicine, designing and carrying out and then writing up medical research projects so that your name can be listed amongst the good and the great doctors, yet something seems to be missing from your life.
You have gradually come to the realisation that there is more to life than Medicine and yet may be feeling guilty about even having that thought.
What is it about the culture of Medicine which means that many doctors, believe that everything else in life must take second place to progression in your speciality? Yet there is a dilemma here: senior doctors who have lived this sort of life and don’t want to admit any regrets maintain that in order to be the best medical specialist you need to devote the majority of your time to working as a doctor and learning in and about your chosen medical speciality.
Is that true? There is no doubt that when you are passionate about what you do you will be conscious of it for many if not all of your waking hours. Maybe though there is a balance to be found between the surgery, seeing the patients, reading the journals or doing the medical research and allowing time for your unconscious mind to process what you’ve been doing and what you’ve been learning while you take your conscious self somewhere else.
Because while you are enjoying a film or a meal out with friends or a hike through he countryside you will be re-vitalising and relaxing your body, mind and spirit while your unconscious mind processes the other stuff, so that when you return to medical work after a break whether that is an evening out or a week away on holiday, you will return energised and refreshed and ready to deal with whatever medical emergencies or patient’s dilemmas your day brings you, with a new enthusiasm.
When you are desperately busy overworked doctor, you will find that going out for a swim or a cycle ride might seem counter-intuitive but I challenge you to try doing something which takes you away from the medical workplace for a few hours or even half an hour in the middle of the day and notice the positive effect doing this on a regular basis has on your energy and motivation and your interaction with patients.
Finding it difficult to do this on your own? Coaching helps…….
The focus of many doctors is considerable. Having had a previous profession where many professionals have outside interests this strikes me considerably.
Why is that ?
Does Medicine select type ones to the exclusion to type twos ? ( I refer here of course to the well known classification which in itself is a stereotype but can be helpful.)
Does Medicine train us to focus to the exclusion of all else ?
Does the culture of Medicine discourage outside interests. I think it probably does in terms of the perception, for example, of some SAS doctors who may have made a specific decision not to aspire to consultancy for positive reasons associated with life – work balance.
Quite how healthy this is I do not know.
As a doctor in occupational medicine I am currently looking very carefully at the occupational health needs of clergy. One of the challenges for them is that they are called to serve.
Yet service – if it is to continue on a long term basis – cannot involve total self sacrifice. MY friends in ministry may disagree but I don’t think we can in Medicine.
Thanks ever so much