2 minute read
WELLNESS PHYSICIAN WELLNESS = SUSTAINABILITY + SELF ADVOCACY
Jessie Mahoney, MD
I have worked to support “physician wellness" since 2002. What wellness is and our willingness to accept, support and prioritize physician wellness has changed tremendously over the years. In 2023, the word “wellness” still brings up confusion, resentment, frustration, and blame in many physicians and healthcare institutions.
What does wellness mean? Does wellness conflict with productivity and other “metrics”? How do you measure wellness? Can you/should you measure wellness? Is wellness a worthwhile endeavor or investment? Is it ok to prioritize our own wellness? Is wellness fluff? Does it make a difference? Does prioritizing physician wellness impact our ability to serve the needs of our patients? Do wellness retreats and workshops change anything? Is it possible to be “well” in medicine today? Whose responsibility is physician wellness?
If you are asking yourself these questions, you are not alone. I have recently found it helpful for many physicians to re-define wellness. The most effective definition I have found is Wellness = Sustainability + Self-advocacy. This definition takes out much of the confusion. Wellness is then a shared responsibility between individuals and institutions. How might your relationship with wellness change if you thought of wellness as sustainability + self-advocacy.
Jessie Mahoney is a pediatrician, a certified life coach for physicians, and a yoga instructor. She is the Chair of the SFMMS Physician Wellness Task Force. She practiced pediatrics and was a Physician Wellness leader at Kaiser Permanente for 17 years. She is the founder of Pause and Presence Coaching where she supports and empowers her physician colleagues using mindfulness tools and mindset coaching.
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