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38-The joy of practicing
medicine – how to be a happy doctor |
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"Focus on
the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not
in finishing an activity but in doing it. "
- Greg Anderson. |
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Even though medicine has traditionally been regarded as a
profession which provides tremendous job satisfaction, many
of us are finding ourselves increasingly dissatisfied with
the practice of medicine. In the past , when doctors met,
they used to talk about the interesting patients they helped
to treat. These days they usually talk about financial stresses,
job pressures, bureaucratic hassles and red tape. Doctors
are increasingly toying with the idea of changing careers
, while others are burning out in their mid-forties. Where
has the joy of practicing medicine gone ?
In order to find joy in medicine, we need to find meaning
in our profession. Work is an essential part of being alive
and physicians are fortunate to work in a job which can provide
so much satisfaction . They are presented with new challenges
daily ; they can apply their mental abilities and their physical
dexterity to successfully solve many of these problems; they
are accorded respect and status; and they have control and
autonomy . Unfortunately, many doctors no longer work for
the sake of working - they’re working for a car, a new
house, or a vacation. It’s no longer the work itself
that’s important to them, and this is a shame, because
there is such joy in doing work well.
We are privileged to help take care of patients. We need to
respect our role, so we can learn to respect ourselves. If
you do what you love , and love what you do , you will find
a higher purpose in life - and if you are passionate about
your work , your life will be full of meaning. Getting paid
for this should be seen to be the ultimate bonus !
We are fortunate to be doctors, because we can learn so much
from our patients. They bare their heart to us, and make us
privy to their innermost confidences, so that daily we get
a ringside view of human drama, suffering, courage, life and
death – the stuff of which life is made ! Doctors have
a chance to plumb the depths of the human soul, as they accompany
their patients through their suffering. Our work lends itself
to contemplation and introspection – allowing us insights
which few other people are privileged to have. Our patients
can teach us how to live and how to die – and we need
to keep our hearts open to their lessons. While it is true
that daily exposure to misery and suffering can drain some
doctors, causing compassion fatigue; and leave others hardened
and unfeeling, these same experiences can also invigorate
and rejuvenate you.
Watching patients die should remind you of your own mortality
, so that you remember to learn to live each day well . Seeing
very ill patients recover can renew your sense of amazement
at the marvels of the human body , so that you appreciate
the perfection of your own body every day. Observing friends
and loved ones provide comfort and courage to the ill can
awaken your own feelings of compassion, so that you remember
to touch all your near and dear ones with love every day.
To live life to the fullest, we need to recapture our sense
of wonder at life daily – and being a doctor allows
you the privilege of doing that at close quarters !
It is true that physician morale is declining today, and doctors
are hard pressed to find job satisfaction. However, instead
of focusing our efforts on trying to identify what is wrong
with medicine today, we should identify happy doctors and
delve into their secrets, so that we can copy them ! I am
sure we all know doctors who still look forward to each day
as an opportunity to do good, and to become more skilled physicians.
We should try to learn from their successes. Many of these
happy physicians may never become the president of the medical
association, or grab media headlines , but they are the true
stars of our profession, because they have found meaning in
their lives. My personal role model is my father, who is one
of the most satisfied people I know. His primary source of
happiness is his patients , and they have provided him a major
source of personal sustenance. He enjoys talking to them,
they enjoy talking to him, and his links with them are deep
and personal. He loves tham and they love him. Even more importantly,
I have learned that professional satisfaction does not come
from acquiring money, but instead from gaining “social
capital” through community ties. He has numerous extracurricular
activities , and is very well connected with his family, friends
and neighbors, and these social bonds contribute enormously
to his satisfaction.
The first rule for being a happy doctor is very simple –
it simply means caring for your patients. Treat all your patients
like VIPs – whether they come from Dharavi or from London
. Remember that the relationship with our patients is at the
heart of our professional role – and a healthy doctor-patient
relationship nurtures both patient and doctor ! Medicine is
really about service, not science - and the true meaning of
medicine is found in the relationships we have with our patients.
Savor your patients. When a patient thanks you for your work,
or says that you've become like a family member, stop and
relish that moment. Those moments are the real reward for
being a doctor, if you can slow down to let them in. When
it comes to getting positive feedback, no profession in the
world comes close to medicine ! The joy of medicine is in
doing good , which is why patients still confer a special
status on us – we need to prove ourselves worthy of
it..
Find an area of special interest in your field which you enjoy,
and acquire a depth of knowledge in this focused area. Once
you've mastered an area, then master its intricacies. Not
only is it personally rewarding, it'll be professionally rewarding,
as well. Your colleagues will refer problem patients in this
area to you ( allowing you to become even more expert in the
topic), and you will also acquire a reputation amongst patients
as being very good in this area.
If you find your practice has become boring, tedious and monotonous,
you need to recharge your batteries. Be willing to do something
new, even if it involves a risk – after all, if you
continue doing the things which bore you, the situation will
get even worse ! You can consider hiring an assistant, to
take care of the parts of medicine you find boring, so you
can concentrate on what interests you. Other doctors have
rediscovered joy not by narrowing their scope but broadening
it to encompass a new area of expertise – for example,
by exploring alternative medicine, such as acupuncture, homeopathy
and chiropractic.
Try to publish and present your clinical experiences. This
will force you to read the medical literature and provide
intellectual discipline as well , as you have to carefully
document your experiences and answer your colleague’s
queries. Advances in medicine depend upon clinical acumen,
and if we apply scientific rigor to our clinical experience
, we can all contribute to improving medical practice. Treasure
your rare patients and your difficult cases – they can
teach you the most !
Develop humility. Often you will find that the reason you
are unhappy in your professional life is that you have let
your ego get out of control. Practicing medicine can make
us feel that we are indispensable, and self-importance is
a serious malady that stands in the way of professional satisfaction.
Develop interests and friends outside medicine. While it is
true that medicine can be a demanding mistress, don’t
let her take over your life. Good doctors are well-rounded
individuals , who have an open mind and are curious about
everything. Having outside interests will not only make you
a better person , it will also help make you a better doctor,
as you apply what you learn from other fields to your medical
practice. For example, I enjoy playing tennis, and have found
that learning how to serve has helped improve my surgical
skills by honing my hand-eye coordination.
Do some charitable work – for example, offer a free
clinic once a week. One of the best ways of feeling good about
yourself is by doing good for others , with no strings attached.
The gratitude of the patients you see free of charge is worth
much more than any amount of money . As a doctor you have
many opportunities for being altruistic – make the most
of them !
Don't make the mistake of equating wealth with happiness -
the pursuit of wealth only complicates our search for happiness.
. As physicians, we should be grateful that we get the opportunity
to make a positive difference in the lives of others every
day – a goal most humans aspire to. Be thankful daily
that you can help others - expressing gratitude is a powerful
tool in the search for contentment and self-worth.
Most of us become doctors in order to help others. All of
us get this opportunity to do so on a daily basis, whether
we work in Mayo Clinic, or in the heart of rural India. We
should remember how lucky we are to belong to such a privileged
profession. Even in ancient India, vaidyas were considered
to be very fortunate, because their lives offered them the
opportunity of fulfilling all the three aims of a good life
– dharma ( religious gain, by relieving the suffering
of patients); artha ( material gain, by building up a rich
practice); and kama ( personal satisfaction, by curing those
whom he loves and respects, and by acquiring fame for his
expertise). This is as true today as it has been through the
centuries ! Medicine is a wonderful way to make a living –
be glad you are a doctor and make the most of your profession
– for your sake, and for the sake of your patients !
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