Caring for yourself before caring for others
October 10 is World Mental Health Day, dedicated to reducing the social stigma around mental health and mobilizing support for mental health care, including the well-being of our care providers themselves.
To mark the occasion, we talked to Dr. Jill Bailey, the Associate Director of Academic Coaching at TMU. Dr. Bailey has a passion for flipping the script when it comes to physician well-being – because preventive mental health care helps doctors experience the joy and meaning that brought them into medicine in the first place.
In addition to her own practice focused on mental health and addictions, Dr. Bailey teaches future physicians at TMU that having a human-centred approach to care is not only beneficial for patients, but also enables physicians to combat burnout and connect more meaningfully with the work they’re doing.
Why should wellness and burnout prevention be a priority for learners?
Historically, medical education sets learners up to deny their own humanity in service of their patients. Living in this way, always in "survival mode” and only considering your education or work to be a priority is a guaranteed route to burnout for anyone. Future doctors are not exempt; we as physicians are just as human as our patients!
The tragedies of physician burnout are myriad: substance use disorders, relationship difficulties, and medical errors. Especially grim is the statistic that we face a significantly higher suicide rate than the general population.
I think it’s really important to not put all the blame or responsibility on the individual to optimize their wellness or prevent burnout. We are in a system that often sets us up for failure when it comes to burnout, and until the system changes, doctors will continue to burn out despite their best efforts. At TMU, we’re working to start that change.
As part of your role, you’re teaching learners about maintaining their mental well-being. What does that look like?
When I work with UGME and PGME learners, I like to focus on what I call “human-centred care.” The well-being of the patient and the physician are synergistic, not mutually exclusive.
In my own medical training, I was subtly taught that if I was suffering (for example, not sleeping, studying all the time, not taking breaks, etc.) then I was doing a good job for my patients.
However, I have now learned that is far from the truth. When I am well, when I allow myself to enjoy hobbies, to rest and to nourish my own health, my patients do better too.
I encourage learners to not shy away from bringing their own humanity into the exam room. It makes us better clinicians, helps us connect with our purpose, and is the most therapeutic connection we can create with our patients.
What tips do you have for learners who are trying to prioritize their own wellness while navigating their studies?
Sometimes we don’t have time for the usual self-care we’d prefer, like a long lunch with friends or a hike in nature. But we can always offer ourselves self-compassion, the same warmth and understanding we would give to a friend who is struggling.
I like recommending Dr. Kristin Neff’s compassionate breath exercise: as you breathe in, focus on taking in compassion for yourself, and as you exhale, focus on breathing out compassion for the patient you are working with. It’s simple, it only takes a moment and it helps us centre the meaningful nature of our work and our own humanity.
Another tip I’ve borrowed from a colleague is that we should always work under our capacity. We can’t expect ourselves to be working at 100% capacity all the time. If you feel you can take on “just one more thing,” consider saying no and protect your time and energy instead.
Lastly, choose a specialty, a job or a committee position that lights you up, not just because you are good at it. Only add things to your plate that make you excited to be a part of it. That drive will keep you engaged in your role long after the satisfaction of excelling wears off. Someone else can do that work if you say no, it's okay.
What do you want TMU’s learners to know?
As the Head Academic Coach, I want to encourage learners to reach out to their coach if they are struggling. Your coaches are here to listen, to encourage and to support you in your strengths. We also have a phenomenal Learner Affairs team that can support you! As a past medical learner, I fully understand the pressures and the emotional turmoil of our training.
Although medical school is hard, it doesn't have to be this hard. You don’t need to struggle alone.