Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

The right support system makes all the difference for physicians

Stephanie Wellington, MD
Physician
March 10, 2020
3 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share

In the neonatal ICU, a baby dies from necrotizing enterocolitis or NEC.  It’s not the first, nor the last time I’ll experience death during my medical career. Doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, surgeons, and the rest of the team spent the days prior to his death, implementing medical interventions and procedures hoping to arrest the process. Two surgeries, multiple blood transfusions, antibiotics, drips to support the blood pressure, intubation and ventilator support were administered to no avail.

Despite it all, the baby died. His death gave life to a plethora of feelings that had nowhere to go.

A few hours later, the team was called to a debriefing. Debriefings benefit the team. It’s a time for the team to share feelings, express grief, and allow for closure before moving on. However, lacking leadership and structure, the objectives were unmet.

Support was not to be had that day—a missed opportunity.

Instead, I had to move on to the next patient carrying the weight of losing a patient, and the heaviness of a support service gone wrong.  It was the last debriefing I’d attend for a while.

The pattern is common for physicians, residents, and med students.  We see things and experience human vulnerabilities and frailties with only the context of our own coping mechanisms and skills to process it.

We walk the journey alone, trying to figure it out and find meaning in the injuries and the wounds, the illness, and the pain our patients experience, and at times, we feel as well.

Support is elusive.

It becomes ingrained in us to just move on to the next patient in silence.

Putting it in practice: Defining support on your journey in medicine

Fast forward. I’m the attending now. A resident approaches me to discuss the events around a baby who had passed away. Tears are still evident in her eyes.

Do I continue the cycle of  “support” that I received during my training?  Or do I use the acquired knowledge from the coaching arena to supplement the gaps left by medical school and training to provide her with the support she needs?   I provide her with what she needs to move on and see the rest of her patients with a heart and mind that is finding peace. The journey continues.

What does support in medicine look like when people are put through the rigors of extensive course work to build their medical knowledge, have to compete at levels that turn friends into competitors, and then serve patients at their most vulnerable all while believing we must keep our own humanity in check.

The right support:

  • Acknowledges the experiences and the feelings of the physician, resident, or medical student.
  • Validates their feelings in a nonjudgmental and non-critical manner.
  • Explores what the desired outcome might be.
  • Offers the physician a way to shift the energy around the experience.
  • Creates a safe space to sit and relax back into their humanity with grace.
  • Provide future opportunities for ongoing support.

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

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

Entitlement, arrogance, and isolation in modern-day medical practice

March 10, 2020 Kevin 1
…
Next

Renewal is what we need during residency training

March 10, 2020 Kevin 0
…

Tagged as: Critical Care, Practice Management

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Entitlement, arrogance, and isolation in modern-day medical practice
Next Post >
Renewal is what we need during residency training

More by Stephanie Wellington, MD

  • Unlocking the power of morning intentions: a physician’s self-care practice for finding ease and flow in life

    Stephanie Wellington, MD
  • Physician success is a team sport, so why are you on the field alone?

    Stephanie Wellington, MD
  • Unlock the power of comparison for more clarity in your career

    Stephanie Wellington, MD

Related Posts

  • Are patients using social media to attack physicians?

    David R. Stukus, MD
  • The risk physicians take when going on social media

    Anonymous
  • Beware of pseudoscience: The desperate need for physicians on social media

    Valerie A. Jones, MD
  • When physicians are cyberbullied: an interview with ZDoggMD

    Monique Tello, MD
  • Surprising and unlikely rewards of social media engagement by physicians

    Lisa Chan, MD
  • Physicians who don’t play the social media game may be left behind

    Xrayvsn, MD

More in Physician

  • The essence of health narratives, including poetry

    Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA
  • Discover the power of patience

    Diane W. Shannon, MD, MPH
  • Doctors rediscover joy in practicing medicine, on their own terms

    Kim Downey, PT
  • Physician return-to-work policies

    Deepak Gupta, MD
  • How my patients’ Zoom backgrounds made me a better doctor

    Joseph Barrera, MD
  • Understanding reproductive rights: complex considerations

    Anonymous
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • The erosion of patient care

      Laura de la Torre, MD | Physician
    • Challenging the diagnosis: dehydration or bias?

      Sydney Lou Bonnick, MD | Physician
    • COVID-19 unleashed an ongoing crisis of delirium in hospitals

      Christina Reppas-Rindlisbacher, MD, Nathan Stall, MD, and Paula Rochon, MD | Conditions
    • Air quality alert: Reducing our carbon footprint in health care

      Shreya Aggarwal, MD | Conditions
    • A teenager’s perspective: the pressing need for mental health days in schools

      Ruhi Saldanha | Conditions
    • Understanding reproductive rights: complex considerations

      Anonymous | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • Medical gaslighting: a growing challenge in today’s medical landscape

      Tami Burdick | Conditions
    • I want to be a doctor who can provide care for women: What states must I rule out for my medical education?

      Nandini Erodula | Education
    • Balancing opioid medication in chronic pain

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Conditions
    • The erosion of patient care

      Laura de la Torre, MD | Physician
    • I’m a doctor, and I almost died during childbirth

      Bayo Curry-Winchell, MD | Physician
    • Mourning the silent epidemic: the physician suicide crisis and suggestions for change

      Amna Shabbir, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • The essence of health narratives, including poetry

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Physician
    • Discover the power of patience

      Diane W. Shannon, MD, MPH | Physician
    • Doctors rediscover joy in practicing medicine, on their own terms

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
    • End-of-life ethics and antibiotic use [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Physician return-to-work policies

      Deepak Gupta, MD | Physician
    • Communication, power dynamics, and organizational culture in health care

      Beth Boynton, RN, MS, CP | Conditions

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 1 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

CME Spotlights

From MedPage Today

Latest News

  • Low Relapse Rates With Twice-Yearly Schizophrenia Treatment
  • Fast-Acting Spray for PSVT; Undiscounted Entresto's Value; CTCA-Aided Angiography
  • FDA Greenlights Test for Cancer-Predisposing Genetic Mutations
  • Actemra Biosimilar Approved
  • Menopause Can Negatively Affect Women's Careers

Meeting Coverage

  • Low Relapse Rates With Twice-Yearly Schizophrenia Treatment
  • Menopause Can Negatively Affect Women's Careers
  • Sexual Activity Lowers Risk of Side Effects After Cervical Cancer Treatment
  • Hot Flashes: Precursor to Alzheimer's Disease?
  • SABR Offers New Hope for Older Patients With Inoperable Kidney Cancer
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • The erosion of patient care

      Laura de la Torre, MD | Physician
    • Challenging the diagnosis: dehydration or bias?

      Sydney Lou Bonnick, MD | Physician
    • COVID-19 unleashed an ongoing crisis of delirium in hospitals

      Christina Reppas-Rindlisbacher, MD, Nathan Stall, MD, and Paula Rochon, MD | Conditions
    • Air quality alert: Reducing our carbon footprint in health care

      Shreya Aggarwal, MD | Conditions
    • A teenager’s perspective: the pressing need for mental health days in schools

      Ruhi Saldanha | Conditions
    • Understanding reproductive rights: complex considerations

      Anonymous | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • Medical gaslighting: a growing challenge in today’s medical landscape

      Tami Burdick | Conditions
    • I want to be a doctor who can provide care for women: What states must I rule out for my medical education?

      Nandini Erodula | Education
    • Balancing opioid medication in chronic pain

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Conditions
    • The erosion of patient care

      Laura de la Torre, MD | Physician
    • I’m a doctor, and I almost died during childbirth

      Bayo Curry-Winchell, MD | Physician
    • Mourning the silent epidemic: the physician suicide crisis and suggestions for change

      Amna Shabbir, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • The essence of health narratives, including poetry

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Physician
    • Discover the power of patience

      Diane W. Shannon, MD, MPH | Physician
    • Doctors rediscover joy in practicing medicine, on their own terms

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
    • End-of-life ethics and antibiotic use [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Physician return-to-work policies

      Deepak Gupta, MD | Physician
    • Communication, power dynamics, and organizational culture in health care

      Beth Boynton, RN, MS, CP | Conditions

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

The right support system makes all the difference for physicians
1 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...