Do You Feel Betrayed By Medicine?

Physicians are leaving the field of medicine in droves because they do not feel supported by the healthcare system to do the work they love.

Many feel betrayed by a system they have given their whole self, and often their health to.

Last week I was invited to lead a discussion at the Alameda-Contra Costa Medical Association (ACCMA) about the trend of physician coaching and clarifying misunderstandings and misperceptions.

There is a lot of misunderstanding about mindset or life “coaching.” It doesn’t fit into our traditional medical paradigm. It’s an innovative approach that is different than therapy, mentoring, teaching, friendship, and medicine. It looks and feels like magic.

And in my experience, it is the thing that changes everything.

This, and not burnout, is why I pivoted in my career to be a coach.

Why is coaching so helpful for high-achieving professionals?

One of the primary things I work on as a coach is helping you learn to notice and modify detrimental thought patterns that are taught during our medical training and are reinforced by the professional medical culture. Many of these thought patterns contribute to harmful work environments, burnout, and ultimately our failing systems.

When we understand these thought patterns, we can choose a path forward with agency and purposeful intention.

As someone who has worked in physician wellness since its inception- coaching is the one thing that really helps.

It helps those who want to stay practicing medicine be able to do so, and those who want, and are meant to do something else, do that.

A physician coach isn’t there to help you leave or stay in medicine.

A coach helps you figure out what is right for you and your next most aligned step.

A physician coach is an effective and compassionate guide who helps you optimize your potential, your health and well-being, and your life fulfillment.

A coach helps you show up empowered, engaged, and healthy enough to lead and contribute to finding solutions to our broken medical systems.

The systems are broken. While it isn’t our job or responsibility to fix them, if we want them to work well for us, we will need healthy and whole physicians to be at the table.

Coaching is how this will happen.

What makes an effective coach? Why is coaching usually best done outside of institutions?

Why does it need to be approached and evaluated completely outside the medical model?

Answers to this and more coming soon.