The Thriving Doctor

How can you protect your right to a balanced life in a profession that demands perfection? Medical life is challenging. The culture is competitive, the environment intense, the machinery complex and unwieldy, and the expectations high. Under such constant stress, many doctors sacrifice their own wellbeing to try and provide the best possible care for their patients. We‘ve got it backwards. Only by first looking after yourself can you truly provide the best care for others. Non-clinical skills have untapped potential in providing both personal and - you guessed it - clinical benefits. Research has clearly shown that patient experience and patient health outcomes are better when doctors are compassionate and well themselves. Thriving doctors have better rapport with others, make less errors and feel more satisfied and engaged in their work. Medicine has spent little energy helping doctors build their skills in communication, emotional regulation, mind management, leadership, and compassion. Coaching offers a way to immediately start bridging this known gap. Coaching provides deep listening, powerful questions, and a view from outside the culture of medicine that notices different things. You are a whole human, and it‘s time to treat yourself like it.