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

3 health tips to help busy physicians

Suneel Dhand, MD
Physician
March 18, 2019
Share
Tweet
Share

Practicing medicine at the frontlines is hard. It’s damn hard. Every minute you need to be alert, ready to respond to a potential life or death situation, and be called to another important problem. The current medical practice environment — with excessive bureaucracy, suboptimal information technology, and extreme time pressure with patients — adds exponentially to the mix, and can make for a very stressful job. Make no mistake, even without these added burdens, being a doctor is tough enough. It’s certainly not a job for the faint-hearted. At the same time, it’s an incredibly rewarding career, and there can be few better things than getting to form relationships with patients and their families, seeing them through their illness, recovering and walking out the door.

I wrote an article a couple of months ago about an experience I had when someone remarked to me about how impressed they were with physicians always needing to be on their “A-game” while at work. There’s no time to sneak away while you’re on duty, switch off, or relax in a dark room (unless you’re a radiologist). Directly related to this, is another aspect of working in medicine — or for that matter, any busy profession — which is really not discussed enough. And that’s how healthy (or conversely unhealthy) habits contribute to us not quite being at our best. If you look at other fields where there’s talk about people being on their “A-game,” it’s invariably a performance-type situation, like a sportsperson or music artist. Ask anyone in these fields how important lifestyle habits such as diet, activity and underlying psychology, are to their overall level of performance — and they will tell you they are critical.

I liken being a doctor as being on a type of stage. Whether physicians always appreciate it or not — we are. Everybody around us, from the patient and nurse, to the housekeeping staff and cafeteria cashier — views you as a leader. How you interact with everyone is acutely remembered, and your words carry enormous weight when you are walking around in that white coat. It’s important to do everything possible to be at your peak, get to the correct diagnosis and treatment, and communicate well at the same time. Here are three health tips to focus on:

1. Diet

What we eat is the fundamental building block of how we are going to feel. In the interests of keeping things succinct, I will give a few simple key tips. Generally, you want to avoid sudden sugar “highs and lows” during the day. Always eat a healthy breakfast before starting work (such as oatmeal with fruit). For lunch, ensure a well-balanced meal with a healthy protein (avoid red meat) and favor low-glycemic carbohydrates (brown rice, whole wheat or multigrain bread) over the higher glycemic index ones (potatoes, fries, white pasta, and bread), which will produce rapid rises in blood sugar. Generally, most people find that eating too many carbs for lunch contributes to post-lunch lethargy. Something you should think about if you have a waiting room of patients to see or a couple of surgeries to perform.

In terms of snacking, you may need a mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack to give you a boost. Pick a healthy option like a fiber bar, fresh fruit, or handful of nuts (almonds or walnuts). Working in health care, you will often find yourself surrounded by treats like candies and chocolates. You don’t need to avoid treats entirely (life is dull if you are too restrictive), but certainly not every day.

As for what you drink, it’s essential to stay hydrated while at work (dehydration is a chronic problem among the general population). Pure water is ideal, but avoid sodas (especially the high sugar ones). Remember the classic rule of trying to drink at least 2 liters of water a day (eight 8-ounce glasses) doesn’t apply to everyone—but can be used as a benchmark for a younger healthy person.

Tea and coffee are fine, but don’t go over the top on the caffeine fix, and limit it to a maximum of two coffees per work day. I don’t personally drink coffee, but I know most people around me in health care, appear to be addicts.

2. Activity

Depending on your specialty, you may or may not be particularly active during the day. Some fields, such as hospital medicine (my specialty, when I am working in the hospital), can lead to several thousand steps a day. Others in primary care, not so much. I work out in the gym before starting work, but that does require getting up very early, and may not be everyone’s cup of tea. However, I still strive to be as active as possible while at work. If you are sitting down for most of the day, or standing still in the OR, get up and take a good brisk walk whenever you have some downtime, and a longer one at lunchtime (leave the clinic or hospital and go outside if you can). Hopefully, you do other aerobic exercise outside of work too, but a brisk walk is at least categorized as moderate intensity. Also, try taking the stairs and ascending or descending as briskly as you can (safely, while holding onto the side!). This can burn significant calories during the day, but more importantly from the performance perspective — you receive an energy boost with a burst of cardiovascular activity, from both stair climbing and brisk walking.

3. Mindset and communication

Our internal mindset and how we communicate, is also a cornerstone of our performance. If you have a negative mindset, dislike your job, and have overwhelmingly negative interactions with those around you—there’s no way you can be doing good work and performing at your best. If this is you, there’s only two things you can do: 1) change yourself, or 2) change your circumstances.

To be working at your peak, you must show up at work with a positive mindset, determined to have meaningful interactions (obviously as a doctor, our most important interactions are with our patients).

A couple of things that may also help you: avoid hanging out with other negative colleagues (they will only bring you down ultimately) and practice gratitude. Remember how many good things there are about your work circumstances: you are in a field with lots of demand, you have free decision anytime to move to another institution or seek out alternative arrangements, and hey—you live in America, which alone puts you in the top percentile of the world in terms of opportunity and choice!

A final point is to strive for mental calmness, so that when the barrage of issues hits you as soon as you step into the hospital or clinic, you are ready. For many people, a small amount of meditation in the morning, or even a few deep breaths with mindfulness right before you step onto the stage, can help reset that adrenaline and cortisol.

If you want to be at your best during crazily busy work days, always keep in mind the above three areas of physical and mental wellness. And never underestimate the link between the two either.

ADVERTISEMENT

Suneel Dhand is an internal medicine physician, author, and an independent health care experience and communication consultant. He is co-founder, DocsDox.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

Why many doctors live paycheck to paycheck

March 18, 2019 Kevin 12
…
Next

We need RVUs for obtaining a prior authorization

March 18, 2019 Kevin 0
…

Tagged as: Hospital-Based Medicine, Practice Management, Primary Care

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Why many doctors live paycheck to paycheck
Next Post >
We need RVUs for obtaining a prior authorization

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Suneel Dhand, MD

  • The dream patient that makes a doctor very happy

    Suneel Dhand, MD
  • When the family wants to speak to the doctor

    Suneel Dhand, MD
  • 3 reasons why patients are unhappy

    Suneel Dhand, MD

Related Posts

  • Essential health messaging tips for physicians [PODCAST]

    The Podcast by KevinMD
  • Turn physicians into powerful health care influencers

    Kevin Pho, MD
  • Writing tips for physicians from a health care editor

    Debra A. Shute
  • Are negative news cycles and social media injurious to our health?

    Rabia Jalal, MD
  • Physicians and patients must work together to improve health care

    Michele Luckenbaugh
  • How social media can help or hurt your health care career

    Health eCareers

More in Physician

  • Guilty until proven innocent? My experience with a state medical board.

    Jeffrey Hatef, Jr., MD
  • How to balance clinical duties with building a startup

    Arlen Meyers, MD, MBA
  • When life makes you depend on Depends

    Francisco M. Torres, MD
  • Implementing value-based telehealth pain management and substance misuse therapy service

    Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD
  • How an insider advocate can save a loved one

    Chrissie Ott, MD
  • A powerful story of addiction, strength, and redemption

    Ryan McCarthy, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • How hospitals can prepare for CMS’s new patient safety rule

      Kim Adelman, PhD | Conditions
    • How a doctor defied a hurricane to save a life

      Dharam Persaud-Sharma, MD, PhD | Physician
    • Why primary care needs better dermatology training

      Alex Siauw | Conditions
    • Guilty until proven innocent? My experience with a state medical board.

      Jeffrey Hatef, Jr., MD | Physician
    • Why physician strikes are a form of hospice

      Patrick Hudson, MD | Physician
    • Why medical notes have become billing scripts instead of patient stories

      Sriman Swarup, MD, MBA | Tech
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why transgender health care needs urgent reform and inclusive practices

      Angela Rodriguez, MD | Conditions
    • COVID-19 was real: a doctor’s frontline account

      Randall S. Fong, MD | Conditions
    • Why primary care doctors are drowning in debt despite saving lives

      John Wei, MD | Physician
    • New student loan caps could shut low-income students out of medicine

      Tom Phan, MD | Physician
    • Confessions of a lipidologist in recovery: the infection we’ve ignored for 40 years

      Larry Kaskel, MD | Conditions
    • mRNA post vaccination syndrome: Is it real?

      Harry Oken, MD | Conditions
  • Recent Posts

    • How Filipino cultural values shape silence around mental health

      Victor Fu and Charmaigne Lopez | Education
    • Why leadership training in medicine needs to start with self-awareness

      Amelie Oshikoya, MD, MHA | Education
    • Federal shakeup of vaccine policy and the battle for public trust [PODCAST]

      American College of Physicians & The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why clinicians must lead health care tech innovation

      Kimberly Smith, RN | Tech
    • The truth about sun exposure: What dermatologists want you to know

      Shafat Hassan, MD, PhD, MPH | Conditions
    • Learning medicine in the age of AI: Why future doctors need digital fluency

      Kelly D. França | Education

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

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • How hospitals can prepare for CMS’s new patient safety rule

      Kim Adelman, PhD | Conditions
    • How a doctor defied a hurricane to save a life

      Dharam Persaud-Sharma, MD, PhD | Physician
    • Why primary care needs better dermatology training

      Alex Siauw | Conditions
    • Guilty until proven innocent? My experience with a state medical board.

      Jeffrey Hatef, Jr., MD | Physician
    • Why physician strikes are a form of hospice

      Patrick Hudson, MD | Physician
    • Why medical notes have become billing scripts instead of patient stories

      Sriman Swarup, MD, MBA | Tech
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why transgender health care needs urgent reform and inclusive practices

      Angela Rodriguez, MD | Conditions
    • COVID-19 was real: a doctor’s frontline account

      Randall S. Fong, MD | Conditions
    • Why primary care doctors are drowning in debt despite saving lives

      John Wei, MD | Physician
    • New student loan caps could shut low-income students out of medicine

      Tom Phan, MD | Physician
    • Confessions of a lipidologist in recovery: the infection we’ve ignored for 40 years

      Larry Kaskel, MD | Conditions
    • mRNA post vaccination syndrome: Is it real?

      Harry Oken, MD | Conditions
  • Recent Posts

    • How Filipino cultural values shape silence around mental health

      Victor Fu and Charmaigne Lopez | Education
    • Why leadership training in medicine needs to start with self-awareness

      Amelie Oshikoya, MD, MHA | Education
    • Federal shakeup of vaccine policy and the battle for public trust [PODCAST]

      American College of Physicians & The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why clinicians must lead health care tech innovation

      Kimberly Smith, RN | Tech
    • The truth about sun exposure: What dermatologists want you to know

      Shafat Hassan, MD, PhD, MPH | Conditions
    • Learning medicine in the age of AI: Why future doctors need digital fluency

      Kelly D. França | Education

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

3 health tips to help busy physicians
1 comments

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

Loading Comments...