OVERCOMING OBSTACLES
( continued from page 11 ) myself and my clients that help manage whatever it is that life brings to the table . I coach clients based on their needs , whether that is creating a work-life balance , incorporating health and wellness into their lives or helping them deal with difficult interactions with people and themselves . Brooke Castillo , founder of The Life Coach School , calls it “ The Model - CTFAR .” CTFAR stands for : C - circumstances / T – thoughts / F – feelings / A – actions / R – results
Here is how it goes :
Circumstance is the actual event that happened , not opinions . This is neutral . It does not cause you emotions or lead you to your actions and results . It is a fact ; therefore it cannot be changed . For example : The health care system was recently hacked and the EMR system went down .
Thought is the story or the sentence in your head , your opinion about the circumstance above . Your thoughts create your emotions . In this example , my thought was : “ I cannot access X-ray , results , send prescriptions , look up patients and even do labs so I cannot take care of these patients at all !”
Feeling is the emotion or vibration in your body created by your thoughts . Your emotions drive your actions . In this example : I felt frustrated , but mostly , helpless .
Action is what you do or don ’ t do because of your feeling from above . In this example , I was showing up as a person who was complaining . I was showing up as a victim . I was not thinking about what I could do to be able to keep giving the best care I could . I was acting frustrated . I wanted to cancel clinic that day .
Result is the outcome from your actions and inactions . In this example , I was helpless because I could not focus on how I could continue to see patients . I became more focused on wanting to cancel my clinic .
We call the model above the “ unintentional ” model . That model was not serving me well at that time . But luckily for me , I had been working on choosing deliberate thoughts , so I was able to move towards creating an intentional model . The intentional model is created from a new , but believable , more empowering thought .
Circumstance : The health care system was recently hacked and the EMR system went down .
Thought : “ I can get through this one patient at a time ” Feeling : Empowered , resourceful Actions :
• I printed my huddle sheet with the patients ’ phone numbers in case I needed to call them to cancel , which is the worst-case scenario .
• I added their problem list , list of medications , last hemoglobin A1C , last blood pressure , last LDL , last microalbumin , and printed my entire week in case the EMR crashed all together and I could not access anything at all . This way I still knew some patient history and more importantly , a list of their medications .
• I started printing prescriptions and created smartphrases that asked the nurses to call the patient so they could pick up their prescriptions .
• I sent patients to outside labs when our lab did not work .
• I was able to help the nurses with their questions on how to do things and also help reduce frustrations by helping them let go of things that are not in their control and empower them to move forward .
• Inaction : I did not cancel my clinic .
Result : I was able to get through two weeks without having to cancel my clinic . I was still able to get all the work done at work and be home by 4 p . m . I was still frustrated , but it did not consume my day .
As you can see , choosing a different thought , a realistic , believable , yet more positive thought allowed me to have positive emotions that created openness , curiosity and creativity . That ultimately allowed me to keep working and to come up with ideas to be able to continue seeing patients without as much stress and feeling overwhelmed .
Navigating challenges as a physician can be difficult , but it is possible to overcome them . By acknowledging the limitations of your control , cultivating a positive mindset , practicing mindfulness , practicing self-compassion , clearing your mind of clutter , visualizing successes , seeking out resources and tools , connecting with others and managing your thoughts and emotions , you can maintain your well-being , provide the best possible care to your patients , overcome burnout and achieve your personal and professional goals . Remember , you are a physician who is capable of conquering any challenge that comes your way !
Dr . Kellie , FACP , DipACLM , is a primary care physician in internal medicine , a Certified Health and Wellness Coach from Wellcoaches , and Certified Life Coach from The Life Coach School . To find out more , visit www . physicianburnoutnavigator . com .
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