Takeaway
By focusing on the positive aspects of medicine, clinicians reduce stress and provide more compassionate care. Happy Thanksgiving!
Passion in the Medical Profession | May 15, 2018 | 1 min read
By Jennifer Janus, MD, Johns Hopkins Community Physicians
Nearly two-thirds of physicians feel burned out, depressed, or both. For me, gratitude is essential to mitigate this. A few years ago, I received a small, deep red bouquet of roses from a patient suffering from depression. This young person already had their hands full with two children, one with autism. We’d worked hard on improving symptoms and getting the children the services they needed.
The note that accompanied those flowers read: “When I first came to see you, everything was gray. Thank you for helping me to see color again.” What she couldn’t have known was that I was struggling with burnout. Increased administrative demands coupled with the end of my marriage and single parenting left me anticipating the worst before every patient appointment. I was easily frustrated with curveballs, and sometimes even resentful of my employers and patients.
Gratitude as a tool
I’d attended a mindfulness workshop that discussed gratitude as a tool for dealing with frustration and was trying to apply this to my practice. My patient’s note was a turning point for me. Not only was I grateful for the sentiment, but it also reminded me of all the ways that practicing medicine is a blessing.
We have a level of intimacy and trust with our patients that’s hard to find in these days of social media. We have the chance to improve lives in meaningful and lasting ways. We have the opportunity to be intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually fulfilled every day. How lucky we are to be doing what we do.
By focusing on the rewards of medicine, concern and compassion for my patients grows in the space where frustration used to live. This is not to say that I never get annoyed, or don’t wish the paperwork would Just. Go. Away. But I do feel more love for my life and my patients.
Patients are clearly more likely to receive excellent care from clinicians who are emotionally resilient and empathetic. Practicing gratitude, especially when times are tough, is an essential component of clinical excellence.
This piece expresses the views solely of the author. It does not necessarily represent the views of any organization, including Johns Hopkins Medicine.