Town loves doctor. Gives her free rent, cookies and $100,000 check! →

Listen to the above interview extracted from our physician teleseminar and discover how this small-town doctor got free rent, a plate of chocolate-chip cookies, and a $100,000 check!

Meet Dr. Mary Ellen Hoffman—the happiest doctor in New York! She’s an awesome family doc in the small town of Oneonta. She used to be in a clinic where she was always running late, doing tons of paperwork, and charting after hours. She was so exhausted trying to care for others she started daydreaming of getting into an accident so she could rest. Does that sound familiar? I’ve spoken to a ton of depressed and suicidal docs who have said the same things over the years. Sleep deprivation and chronic exhaustion actually lead to suicidal thoughts in doctors.

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I hate myself. I don’t deserve to be a doctor. →

DearDr.Wible-Impostor-Syndrome

Dear Dr. Wible, 

We’ve talked before. To catch you up, I’m in my clinical years now and I keep waiting to feel the same starry-eyed excitement I felt during the first months of med school, when I thought that becoming a doctor would finally give me a tangible purpose and make me a better person by helping me do right by others in a way that is meaningful. Back when I thought “Yeah! This is awesome! I can do this!”

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Top 10 Fears That Hold Doctors Back →

Top 10 fears that hold physicians back

What prevents us from being the doctors we always imagined? We enter medicine as inspired, intelligent, compassionate humanitarians. Soon we’re cynical and exhausted. How did all these totally amazing and high-functioning people get screwed up so fast? Attention: med students and doctors: It’s not your fault. Here’s why you are suffering and what you can do about it.

Top 10 fears that hold doctors back: 1. Low self-confidence  2. Financial concerns 3. PTSD/guilt 4. Family responsibility 5. Anxiety and depression 6. Health issues 7. Addiction 8. Isolation 9. Lack of direction, passion, purpose 10. Abuse cycles. (Listen to podcast for complete analysis)

Top 5 warning signs you lack self-confidence (and how to get it back)

1) Confusion—fear of not knowing. What if I don’t know what’s wrong with the patient? What if I’m not smart enough to figure it out? Fear of not knowing is often rooted in traumatic med school or residency training. If you’ve managed to get through training without self-doubt, it can develop in toxic/dysfunctional work environments. ANTIDOTE: CLARITY.

2) Perfectionism—Fear of mistakes. Perfectionism is a major issue for many physicians and health care professionals. We take our jobs very seriously and know that getting it wrong can have far-reaching devastating results. Wanting to get it right at our own expense leads to obsessing, overworking, lack of balance. These behaviors deplete our self-confidence. ANTIDOTE: ACCEPT YOUR HUMANITY. 

3) Trauma/PTSD. Working in the field of medicine often triggers old trauma and PTSD. Acknowledging and healing our trauma has to happen in order to build self-confidence. ANTIDOTE: CHOOSE OPPORTUNITIES TO HEAL YOURSELF. 

4) Destructive beliefs. Choosing stress as a belief and lifestyle has devastating consequences. “I have chosen a stress-filled profession and therefore I will live a stress-filled life,” is distorted, destructive thinking. Fueling the stress in our lives only erodes our self-confidence. What we focus on grows. ANTIDOTE: IDENTIFY YOUR POSITIVE BELIEF SYSTEM. 

5) Losing your sense of purpose. There was a time when you entered medicine inspired by a vision or passion. You had a dream. You had a sense of purpose. Now, these many months and years later, you are lost. Jaded by all you have been through, you no longer easily connect with what you are here to do and have begun to doubt yourself. ANTIDOTE: CONNECT WITH YOUR PURPOSE, YOUR DREAM, YOUR REASON FOR BEING HERE. 

YOUR PATIENTS NEED 1) To Be Seen, 2) To Be Heard, 3) To Feel Safe, 4) To Feel Connected.

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Pregnant physicians punished (& babies die) →

Stacey-Maddox MD

Four female physicians share their life & death experiences. Miscarriages from overwork. Sexual harassment. Threats of termination. No legal protection. Medical training in America. Listen in:

Stacey Maddox, M.D. 

I failed my first ED [emergency department] rotation in third year because I had a miscarriage. I had to take two weeks off and the attending agreed to pass me for a two-week rotation, but then didn’t. All I ever wanted to be was an ER doc. The subsequent glowing recommendations I received from other ED rotations didn’t help. All residencies saw was that failure. And my school let it stand. Apparently, you’re supposed to still be on rotation and seeing patients with your baby falling out of your uterus. Read more ›

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Port Angeles doctor opens ideal clinic—designed by patients →

Lubinski-Family-2016

It’s like a scene from a fairy tale—a dream come true for the patients of Port Angeles, Washington. And the heroine of this tale is Dr. Lissa Lubinski, a family doc with a plan to open the first ideal clinic designed by patients on the Olympic Peninsula. She is currently hosting town hall meetings throughout her community and the town is rallying in support of their awesome doctor. If you are a Live Your Dream graduate, please contact me to listen to an amazing interview with Lissa.

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