Right after our last Leadership and Vision talk with Dr. Thackery, there was a story on the local news about how family doctors are overworked, and that this is causing them to make alot of mistakes, even cost some individuals their life!!! It went on to mention that the docs who don't take breaks have poorer decision making skills as well as decreased memory and retention. So those of you who are not taking regular time off, just think of the diservice you are doing to your patients!
Taking a break
(3 posts) (3 voices)-
Posted 9 months ago #
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I was just starting to get lonely! I had even contemplated starting a dialogue with myself - having I,S and C above the line makes self talk and inner conflict pretty easy!But then again I am alot harder on myself than you guys!
Well I hope you all had a great day yesterday. I guess you did not spare a thought for the rest of us who were slaving away whilst you all hacked a poor turkey to shreds! Don’t worry we are all fine! No doubt as is the case with your weather we will get the leftovers in the next couple of weeks!
Now normally when I log on to this forum I am enthused and excited about patient centered care, however reading Dr Rons email this morning I was smacked brutally hard in the solar plexus! It was quite a shock. But unfortunately yours is a very painful but true observation and yet another area where I have struggled to find balance and discipline! When I first started coaching 5 or 6 years ago I readily accepted the logic and reasoning behind not closing the clinic for anything more than 4 days, for someone who was used to taking 2 and 3 weeks holidays at a stretch it was tough but I perservered but in my obsession with the numbers I became paranoid about taking time off! I took it to the other extreme fretting that a single day off would cause me to lose too much momentum! The net result being I never took time off, in fact the only days I took off were at seminars! How detrimental that has been who knows? Fortunately I have a very understanding wife and small kids so long breaks were not exactly in the offing, but this year we have been alot more cognisant of the frequent 6-8 week breaks. And not surprisingly mentally this year I have been alot better! My relationships at home are at a different level. But I still need discipline and constant reminding and so your posting was very well timed!
One of our previous discussions was about forcing ourselves in to being continually optimistic and how tiring and draining that can be - well exactly the same logic applies with holidays! So I voice your same question "how much of a disservice are we indeed doing to our patients?"Posted 9 months ago # -
I just booked a very cool vacation for the family in Feb, a vacation for my wife and I in late Spring and hopefully a ski trip in the middle. This is the most fun I will have had in that short a period of time in years. I am sincerely excited about all of the above and when piggy backed with the recent seminar my office has taken off in the past week. Coincidence, probably not(definitely not). I find more and more it is really just about being in a good mood(Serious fun). Looking forward to vacations and such is all part of it. Good post Dr. Ron.
BTW the volume jump in my office from the week before Sioux Falls versus the week after practically covered the whole trip and four of us went! How's that for return on investment! Not to throw stones, I typically have not brought my staff along. So lesson learned for me too.
Posted 9 months ago #
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