We don’t talk much about passion in medicine anymore.

What is your passion in medicine?  What was it that sparked your initial desire to pursue this career instead of another?  What is the impact you are called to make as a doctor?

I was speaking with a friend who is not in medicine and asked why he picked his chosen field.  He is knowledgeable and skilled at many different things.  He admitted that while he can do other things, they were not his passion.  He works in the area that he is most passionate about.

I began to think about my journey in medicine. I thought about the journey of the colleagues I have met along the way.

As doctors, we tend to focus on the daily responsibilities that go into the delivery of patient care, managing patient floors and units, and running offices.  We focus on delivering best outcomes, improving the patient experience, and generating revenue.  It becomes routine.  When challenges arise, it becomes frustrating.  When there is more to do than staff and hours in the day to get it all done, we get overwhelmed and even burned out.  The passion is gone.

There is a reason why we went into medicine in the first place. We had a calling. Maybe it was a loved one’s experience in the hospital that moved us to want to be part of the profession.  Maybe it was something that we wanted to change for the better. Maybe it was a deep desire to discover the cure for a disease. Our passion was alive and at work in our souls to cause us to take the steps to become a doctor.  We should not forget our passion.  It is a valuable part of who we are.

When we focus on our passion we are:

• Inspired to move past the stress and overwhelm that is common in modern day medicine instead of getting stuck there.
• Motivated to find new ways to best support ourselves in this new era of medicine
• Committed to being part of a solution that will benefit the patients, the physicians, and the profession.

Reconnecting to your passion means setting aside time in your day to remember why medicine was your only career choice.  Then look for the areas in your daily activities that are in alignment with your passion to keep you inspired.

Stephanie Wellington is a physician and can be reached at Nurturing MDs.

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