The player is loading ...
April 29, 2024
Creating intrinsic value and worth
Welcome to the Clinician Researcher Podcast. Today's episode delves into the crucial topic of recognizing intrinsic value and worth. Reflecting on personal experiences, this discussion highlights the importance of self-worth in professional settings.
Key Points Discussed:
- Navigating Professional Challenges: A conversation with a medical student attending her first conference underscores the significance of self-worth in competitive fields like medicine.
- Challenges in Medicine: The medical education and training process often erodes self-esteem, leading individuals to doubt their intrinsic value.
- Building Self-Worth: Five strategies are offered for cultivating self-worth, including distancing from negative influences, intentionally creating nurturing environments, and treating others with respect.
- Combatting Negativity: Recognizing and addressing instances of disrespect towards oneself and others is crucial for fostering healthier environments.
- Choosing Healthy Environments: Intentionally seeking out and contributing to positive, respectful environments in academia and beyond can lead to personal and professional growth.
Links and Resources Mentioned: N/A
Call to Action: Take steps to cultivate environments that nurture and support intrinsic value and worth. Share this episode with someone who may benefit from its message, and engage with the podcast community by sharing your thoughts and experiences.
Transcript
1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,860
Welcome to the Clinician Researcher podcast, where academic clinicians learn the skills
2
00:00:05,860 --> 00:00:11,260
to build their own research program, whether or not they have a mentor.
3
00:00:11,260 --> 00:00:17,340
As clinicians, we spend a decade or more as trainees learning to take care of patients.
4
00:00:17,340 --> 00:00:22,380
When we finally start our careers, we want to build research programs, but then we find
5
00:00:22,380 --> 00:00:27,780
that our years of clinical training did not adequately prepare us to lead our research
6
00:00:27,780 --> 00:00:29,200
program.
7
00:00:29,200 --> 00:00:35,480
Through no fault of our own, we struggle to find mentors, and when we can't, we quit.
8
00:00:35,480 --> 00:00:40,580
However, clinicians hold the keys to the greatest research breakthroughs.
9
00:00:40,580 --> 00:00:46,200
For this reason, the Clinician Researcher podcast exists to give academic clinicians
10
00:00:46,200 --> 00:00:51,800
the tools to build their own research program, whether or not they have a mentor.
11
00:00:51,800 --> 00:01:01,060
Now introducing your host, Toyosi Onwuemene.
12
00:01:01,060 --> 00:01:03,080
Welcome to the Clinician Researcher podcast.
13
00:01:03,080 --> 00:01:07,640
I'm your host, Toyosi Onwuemene, and it is such a pleasure to be talking with you again
14
00:01:07,640 --> 00:01:08,640
today.
15
00:01:08,640 --> 00:01:09,640
Thank you so much for tuning in.
16
00:01:09,640 --> 00:01:14,760
Today, I'm talking about recognizing your intrinsic value and your worth.
17
00:01:14,760 --> 00:01:18,320
I'm talking about recognizing your intrinsic value and your worth.
18
00:01:18,320 --> 00:01:23,760
And the reason that this episode comes to you today is because of an episode or an experience
19
00:01:23,760 --> 00:01:26,520
I had recently traveling on an airplane.
20
00:01:26,520 --> 00:01:32,680
So this week, I'm traveling to my annual meeting, and I end up on the plane next to a medical
21
00:01:32,680 --> 00:01:33,680
student.
22
00:01:33,680 --> 00:01:37,800
So apparently, so my meeting this year is in Vegas, and Vegas, apparently, I didn't
23
00:01:37,800 --> 00:01:40,840
know this, is a conference capital of the world.
24
00:01:40,840 --> 00:01:42,920
So many people go there to have conferences.
25
00:01:42,920 --> 00:01:47,480
Well, you know, one of the reasons I didn't know this was true is because I've had many
26
00:01:47,480 --> 00:01:52,400
conferences since I started in medicine, and none of them have ever been in Vegas.
27
00:01:52,400 --> 00:01:57,040
So for whatever reason, Vegas may be the conference capital of the world, but apparently not for
28
00:01:57,040 --> 00:01:58,760
the conferences I go to.
29
00:01:58,760 --> 00:02:03,240
Anyway, so it happened this year that our conference happens to be in Vegas.
30
00:02:03,240 --> 00:02:08,160
And so what I say all that to say that it's not really a surprise that I'm sitting next
31
00:02:08,160 --> 00:02:13,160
to someone who's also going to a conference in Vegas, because most of us who were on the
32
00:02:13,160 --> 00:02:17,200
plane to Vegas that day were actually going for conferences, which is kind of interesting.
33
00:02:17,200 --> 00:02:18,360
I shouldn't say most of us.
34
00:02:18,360 --> 00:02:24,080
I'm sure some people are going for not conferences, but anyway, going for reasons other than a
35
00:02:24,080 --> 00:02:25,080
conference.
36
00:02:25,080 --> 00:02:29,200
But anyway, so I'm sitting down next to a medical student who's on her way to her very
37
00:02:29,200 --> 00:02:34,000
first medical conference, and she doesn't have her paper she's presenting this year,
38
00:02:34,000 --> 00:02:36,040
but she's going to network.
39
00:02:36,040 --> 00:02:42,520
She's going to meet people who are going to improve her chances of getting into a residency
40
00:02:42,520 --> 00:02:44,680
that's super highly competitive.
41
00:02:44,680 --> 00:02:48,680
I'm not going to share the residency because she's going to be listening to this and she'll
42
00:02:48,680 --> 00:02:49,880
know that I'm talking about her.
43
00:02:49,880 --> 00:02:52,760
So I just want to keep it under wraps as much as possible.
44
00:02:52,760 --> 00:02:58,360
But anyway, so this is really important to her to get into this really competitive residency.
45
00:02:58,360 --> 00:03:02,320
One of the ways she's learned to do it is to go to a conference and network.
46
00:03:02,320 --> 00:03:03,320
Great.
47
00:03:03,320 --> 00:03:04,320
Nothing wrong with that.
48
00:03:04,320 --> 00:03:08,520
But she's like, okay, I want to make sure you know what am I going to say so that they're
49
00:03:08,520 --> 00:03:09,520
going to like me?
50
00:03:09,520 --> 00:03:12,440
How am I going to make myself memorable?
51
00:03:12,440 --> 00:03:15,800
And I'm listening to all of this and I'm thinking, Oh, no.
52
00:03:15,800 --> 00:03:17,520
Oh, no, baby.
53
00:03:17,520 --> 00:03:18,520
No, baby.
54
00:03:18,520 --> 00:03:19,520
No.
55
00:03:19,520 --> 00:03:25,200
Because I'm thinking if you are not sure of your self worth, then people are not going
56
00:03:25,200 --> 00:03:26,820
to be sure either.
57
00:03:26,820 --> 00:03:30,040
And if for whatever reason you doubt yourself.
58
00:03:30,040 --> 00:03:33,520
I mean, there's some people who put on a good act, they go out there and they pretend to
59
00:03:33,520 --> 00:03:35,280
be everything that they're not.
60
00:03:35,280 --> 00:03:37,480
And they are able to fool most people.
61
00:03:37,480 --> 00:03:39,480
But most of us are not like that.
62
00:03:39,480 --> 00:03:41,740
Like what we believe is how we project.
63
00:03:41,740 --> 00:03:45,320
You know, when you say I can't and you project that I can't and people are like, Oh, well,
64
00:03:45,320 --> 00:03:47,920
I guess you can't because that's what you're projecting.
65
00:03:47,920 --> 00:03:51,160
So anyway, so I remember listening to her and thinking, Oh, my goodness.
66
00:03:51,160 --> 00:03:52,160
I wow.
67
00:03:52,160 --> 00:03:57,000
It sounds like you are struggling with your intrinsic self worth and your value.
68
00:03:57,000 --> 00:03:59,080
And I want to pause and say that, you know what?
69
00:03:59,080 --> 00:04:01,200
I was a medical student 20 years ago.
70
00:04:01,200 --> 00:04:04,640
Now I think I started medical school in 2003.
71
00:04:04,640 --> 00:04:10,320
And so I recognize that, you know, the feeling of you are so much, you are so much before
72
00:04:10,320 --> 00:04:13,140
you went into this thing where you wanted to go to med school.
73
00:04:13,140 --> 00:04:16,040
But as soon as you declared that you wanted to be a med student, then all of a sudden
74
00:04:16,040 --> 00:04:19,240
you were kind of like in this huge group of pre meds.
75
00:04:19,240 --> 00:04:22,640
And there was this sense that you were being weeded out, you know, as you went from one
76
00:04:22,640 --> 00:04:24,120
group to the other.
77
00:04:24,120 --> 00:04:28,680
And then if you went if you were actually at the process where you were, if you actually
78
00:04:28,680 --> 00:04:33,040
got to the process where you're actually applying to med school, then it's like, please let
79
00:04:33,040 --> 00:04:34,040
me in.
80
00:04:34,040 --> 00:04:37,260
I'll just go wherever you accept me, please let me in.
81
00:04:37,260 --> 00:04:40,560
And then you finish med school, and then it's time to match for residency.
82
00:04:40,560 --> 00:04:41,560
And it's a match.
83
00:04:41,560 --> 00:04:43,160
It's like, well, this is a lottery.
84
00:04:43,160 --> 00:04:45,400
We might take you and we might not.
85
00:04:45,400 --> 00:04:48,520
You might end up in Vegas or you might end up in Houston.
86
00:04:48,520 --> 00:04:49,520
We don't know.
87
00:04:49,520 --> 00:04:50,520
Right.
88
00:04:50,520 --> 00:04:56,680
So the whole process is honestly not necessarily created to build up our self esteem.
89
00:04:56,680 --> 00:04:57,960
Or at least not for all of us.
90
00:04:57,960 --> 00:05:01,480
Some people kind of have their self esteem untouched throughout the process.
91
00:05:01,480 --> 00:05:06,040
But for many of us, it's a demoralizing process because you feel like you're begging every
92
00:05:06,040 --> 00:05:08,240
step of the way, please accept me.
93
00:05:08,240 --> 00:05:09,680
I'll pay my own way.
94
00:05:09,680 --> 00:05:11,520
Yes, I'll pay for my own air view.
95
00:05:11,520 --> 00:05:13,440
Oh, no, I'll feed myself.
96
00:05:13,440 --> 00:05:14,880
I'll do everything.
97
00:05:14,880 --> 00:05:15,880
Just take me.
98
00:05:15,880 --> 00:05:16,880
Right.
99
00:05:16,880 --> 00:05:20,400
That's that's how we grow up in medicine for many of us anyway.
100
00:05:20,400 --> 00:05:23,120
I can't speak to everybody's experience.
101
00:05:23,120 --> 00:05:28,160
But as a result of that, sometimes there's a coloring of our intrinsic self worth, where
102
00:05:28,160 --> 00:05:30,800
we doubt what that intrinsic self worth is.
103
00:05:30,800 --> 00:05:32,620
And that is a challenge.
104
00:05:32,620 --> 00:05:39,080
And so what I want to share with you are five ways that you can think about building up
105
00:05:39,080 --> 00:05:40,080
your self worth.
106
00:05:40,080 --> 00:05:44,000
OK, five ways you can think about building up your self worth.
107
00:05:44,000 --> 00:05:47,000
And why is it important?
108
00:05:47,000 --> 00:05:51,200
It is important because you can't give what you don't have.
109
00:05:51,200 --> 00:05:58,540
And if you do not think of yourself as valuable, you cannot create value for other people.
110
00:05:58,540 --> 00:06:00,040
It's just the bottom line.
111
00:06:00,040 --> 00:06:03,640
Yeah, in medical school and academic medicine, we fake it a lot.
112
00:06:03,640 --> 00:06:06,200
And for many of us, we're faking it until we're making it.
113
00:06:06,200 --> 00:06:11,000
And to be honest, faking it can get you can get you a good bit of the way, but it doesn't
114
00:06:11,000 --> 00:06:12,000
take you far.
115
00:06:12,000 --> 00:06:13,960
It doesn't let you soar in the mountains.
116
00:06:13,960 --> 00:06:15,960
It doesn't let you soar like an eagle.
117
00:06:15,960 --> 00:06:18,800
It doesn't really help you thrive.
118
00:06:18,800 --> 00:06:22,520
You make it, but you don't thrive faking it.
119
00:06:22,520 --> 00:06:28,820
And so what's most important is that you recognize the value that you bring, your intrinsic worth
120
00:06:28,820 --> 00:06:33,340
and value so that you can give it as a gift to other people.
121
00:06:33,340 --> 00:06:38,160
Because until you recognize the gift that you have, the gift that you are, the gift
122
00:06:38,160 --> 00:06:41,720
that you carry, you cannot give it to somebody else.
123
00:06:41,720 --> 00:06:46,500
And so recognizing your intrinsic value and self worth is so important.
124
00:06:46,500 --> 00:06:47,840
Five things.
125
00:06:47,840 --> 00:06:55,040
The first is to get away from people who tear down your intrinsic value and your self worth.
126
00:06:55,040 --> 00:07:01,920
Yes, this may be the hardest and yet the most important step on your journey to clarifying
127
00:07:01,920 --> 00:07:04,720
your intrinsic value and self worth.
128
00:07:04,720 --> 00:07:11,160
This may be the single most important thing is to leave the people who tear you down.
129
00:07:11,160 --> 00:07:16,840
This is really hard because here's the thing in medicine, we're surrounded by so much subjective
130
00:07:16,840 --> 00:07:22,880
feedback that may not actually enhance us as much as it tears us down.
131
00:07:22,880 --> 00:07:27,920
And the reason it tears us down is because people who are broken and wounded tend to
132
00:07:27,920 --> 00:07:30,400
try to break and wound other people as well.
133
00:07:30,400 --> 00:07:32,440
They're not even doing it intentionally.
134
00:07:32,440 --> 00:07:34,120
It's just all they have is brokenness.
135
00:07:34,120 --> 00:07:35,720
So that's all they can give.
136
00:07:35,720 --> 00:07:40,040
If all they have is brokenness, then they're just shards of glass waiting to hurt the next
137
00:07:40,040 --> 00:07:41,040
person.
138
00:07:41,040 --> 00:07:46,080
And so people who are wounded and broken actually tend to wound and break other people too.
139
00:07:46,080 --> 00:07:49,520
And so the moment you recognize that you're in a situation where you feel like you're
140
00:07:49,520 --> 00:07:54,000
being torn down, where you feel like you're being made to feel less than, it is time to
141
00:07:54,000 --> 00:07:55,760
leave that environment.
142
00:07:55,760 --> 00:07:58,520
If you're like, wait a minute, I'm on the rotation for another six weeks.
143
00:07:58,520 --> 00:07:59,760
What are you talking about?
144
00:07:59,760 --> 00:08:02,000
Yeah, that's a really great point.
145
00:08:02,000 --> 00:08:06,560
The question is, how do you fortify yourself against this negativity or how do you address
146
00:08:06,560 --> 00:08:07,560
it head on?
147
00:08:07,560 --> 00:08:13,920
How do you say, hey, I get that you yell, but when you yell, I feel X, Y, Z.
148
00:08:13,920 --> 00:08:18,600
What I'm saying is it's true that you may not necessarily feel like you have agency
149
00:08:18,600 --> 00:08:22,760
and the people who surround you, especially if you're early on in your training, but you
150
00:08:22,760 --> 00:08:23,960
should get help.
151
00:08:23,960 --> 00:08:25,600
Don't accept it as your default.
152
00:08:25,600 --> 00:08:27,480
Don't say it's just six more weeks.
153
00:08:27,480 --> 00:08:28,480
I can take this bruising.
154
00:08:28,480 --> 00:08:31,240
I can take the battering for it.
155
00:08:31,240 --> 00:08:32,240
Don't do it.
156
00:08:32,240 --> 00:08:33,240
Just don't do it.
157
00:08:33,240 --> 00:08:35,160
Don't take it for six weeks.
158
00:08:35,160 --> 00:08:36,680
What can you do about it?
159
00:08:36,680 --> 00:08:40,400
And sometimes it takes you being bold and courageous and saying, hey, is it okay if
160
00:08:40,400 --> 00:08:41,400
I switch teams?
161
00:08:41,400 --> 00:08:47,720
I know people don't usually switch teams until after six weeks, but to some extent I'm feeling
162
00:08:47,720 --> 00:08:51,440
a little bit overwhelmed in this particular team and it's not them.
163
00:08:51,440 --> 00:08:53,680
It probably just is my personality.
164
00:08:53,680 --> 00:08:56,720
And I wonder if there's another team that I could be matched with.
165
00:08:56,720 --> 00:08:59,960
But what I'm saying, I'm not telling you what to say or what to do.
166
00:08:59,960 --> 00:09:04,800
What I'm saying is that if you are in a negative situation, a situation that tears you down,
167
00:09:04,800 --> 00:09:07,420
please take steps to get out of it.
168
00:09:07,420 --> 00:09:09,080
Don't say I'm just a med student.
169
00:09:09,080 --> 00:09:11,060
I have to do this for six weeks.
170
00:09:11,060 --> 00:09:14,440
I want you to take the steps to fix it.
171
00:09:14,440 --> 00:09:17,560
And I go, no, they're going to fire me from this med school.
172
00:09:17,560 --> 00:09:23,680
They probably won't take steps because the more you're being torn down, the more you're
173
00:09:23,680 --> 00:09:25,400
being torn down.
174
00:09:25,400 --> 00:09:29,680
And the more you're being torn down, the harder it is to recover.
175
00:09:29,680 --> 00:09:33,800
And I know that there are a lot of places in medicine where people tear people down.
176
00:09:33,800 --> 00:09:35,160
It should not be the norm.
177
00:09:35,160 --> 00:09:37,120
And I don't want you to accept it.
178
00:09:37,120 --> 00:09:42,400
Just because abuse is rampant in the world doesn't mean it has to be your reality.
179
00:09:42,400 --> 00:09:45,680
And if you're in an abusive situation and you're looking around and you're saying, well,
180
00:09:45,680 --> 00:09:49,000
everybody else is getting abused, I'm saying, I don't know what's happening with everybody
181
00:09:49,000 --> 00:09:51,680
else, but don't accept it for yourself.
182
00:09:51,680 --> 00:09:57,280
So if the first step, and it's the most important, the hardest step is to get out of environments
183
00:09:57,280 --> 00:09:59,480
where you're being torn down.
184
00:09:59,480 --> 00:10:03,720
And this is probably a step where you're not going to take, you may not want to take it
185
00:10:03,720 --> 00:10:06,760
alone, especially if you feel like you're powerless in the system.
186
00:10:06,760 --> 00:10:10,440
I want to pause and say you were never powerless, but sometimes we feel that way.
187
00:10:10,440 --> 00:10:13,840
And if you feel that way, it is appropriate to get help.
188
00:10:13,840 --> 00:10:15,680
This is where a coach could be helpful.
189
00:10:15,680 --> 00:10:19,120
For some of you, maybe it's a therapist that's helpful for you to process your thoughts and
190
00:10:19,120 --> 00:10:20,440
think, how do I want to do?
191
00:10:20,440 --> 00:10:21,440
How do I want to do this?
192
00:10:21,440 --> 00:10:22,800
How do I want to handle this?
193
00:10:22,800 --> 00:10:27,560
One of the reasons I recommend a coach, clearly I'm biased because I am one, but one of the
194
00:10:27,560 --> 00:10:32,240
reasons I recommend a coach is because it's not so much about dwelling in the past of what
195
00:10:32,240 --> 00:10:35,560
happened or what could have been done differently.
196
00:10:35,560 --> 00:10:38,200
It's really about what do I want to do right now?
197
00:10:38,200 --> 00:10:39,760
How do I want to move forward?
198
00:10:39,760 --> 00:10:45,400
And to really help you think through what strategies you can use to advance beyond the
199
00:10:45,400 --> 00:10:47,520
situation that you're in right now.
200
00:10:47,520 --> 00:10:50,800
So anyway, I spent a lot of time on that, but it's so important to say the first step
201
00:10:50,800 --> 00:10:54,920
is to get away from where they're tearing you down because no matter what you do, if
202
00:10:54,920 --> 00:10:58,560
poison is being poured into you, it's going to continue to hurt you.
203
00:10:58,560 --> 00:11:01,120
So you want to get away from this negative environment.
204
00:11:01,120 --> 00:11:02,120
Okay.
205
00:11:02,120 --> 00:11:09,600
The second thing you want to do is along those lines, you want to start to create new environments
206
00:11:09,600 --> 00:11:14,160
intentionally that are nurturing environments that build you up.
207
00:11:14,160 --> 00:11:15,160
How do you do that?
208
00:11:15,160 --> 00:11:16,160
Okay.
209
00:11:16,160 --> 00:11:21,280
There are people you talk to and when you leave their presence, you feel better than
210
00:11:21,280 --> 00:11:22,520
when you started.
211
00:11:22,520 --> 00:11:25,640
You feel uplifted, you feel encouraged.
212
00:11:25,640 --> 00:11:27,280
Those are the people you want to hang around.
213
00:11:27,280 --> 00:11:32,040
You want to begin to cultivate a network of people who encourage you to be who you are,
214
00:11:32,040 --> 00:11:33,880
who encourage you in a good way.
215
00:11:33,880 --> 00:11:38,680
Now this is not to say like only be around the people who make you feel good.
216
00:11:38,680 --> 00:11:40,800
To some extent it's yes and it's no.
217
00:11:40,800 --> 00:11:43,520
It's that you know what, in medicine there are going to be so many things that are going
218
00:11:43,520 --> 00:11:44,520
to make you feel bad.
219
00:11:44,520 --> 00:11:47,520
So many things are going to tear you down or we're going to try to tear you down.
220
00:11:47,520 --> 00:11:53,000
Yes, why not build up a cadre and fortify yourself with people who are going to lift
221
00:11:53,000 --> 00:11:56,640
you up because there's so much negativity in the system.
222
00:11:56,640 --> 00:12:02,560
Why not be ready to combat that negativity with a team that supports you with encouragement
223
00:12:02,560 --> 00:12:03,560
and positivity?
224
00:12:03,560 --> 00:12:04,560
Why not?
225
00:12:04,560 --> 00:12:05,560
Why not?
226
00:12:05,560 --> 00:12:10,080
Because you're going to have to work with people that you have no power over like the
227
00:12:10,080 --> 00:12:11,080
assignments.
228
00:12:11,080 --> 00:12:13,320
Like you just get stuck with this resident, there you are.
229
00:12:13,320 --> 00:12:16,240
You're stuck with this attending, there you are.
230
00:12:16,240 --> 00:12:20,640
So why not, if you can cultivate environments where you are nurtured and supported, why
231
00:12:20,640 --> 00:12:22,080
wouldn't you do that?
232
00:12:22,080 --> 00:12:26,560
Why would you leave your experience to the default?
233
00:12:26,560 --> 00:12:27,560
Why would you?
234
00:12:27,560 --> 00:12:31,320
And so what I'm encouraging you to do is to begin to pay attention to how people make
235
00:12:31,320 --> 00:12:37,880
you feel and begin to grow your networks of people who treat you with respect and honor.
236
00:12:37,880 --> 00:12:40,600
I just want to pause there.
237
00:12:40,600 --> 00:12:43,280
People who treat you with respect and honor.
238
00:12:43,280 --> 00:12:47,160
You know, medicine is a very hierarchical space and people really feel like, hey, I'm
239
00:12:47,160 --> 00:12:48,160
your attending.
240
00:12:48,160 --> 00:12:50,560
I've earned this 20 years worth of respect.
241
00:12:50,560 --> 00:12:51,560
And you know what?
242
00:12:51,560 --> 00:12:56,120
People are people and everybody wants to be respected and some people for their seniority.
243
00:12:56,120 --> 00:12:59,800
But no matter how senior you are, everybody around you deserves respect.
244
00:12:59,800 --> 00:13:05,440
The youngest person on the team, the med student who just came off of basic sciences yesterday
245
00:13:05,440 --> 00:13:07,180
deserves respect.
246
00:13:07,180 --> 00:13:12,020
There is nobody on the team, regardless of their race, gender, color, creed, that does
247
00:13:12,020 --> 00:13:13,820
not deserve respect.
248
00:13:13,820 --> 00:13:18,160
And so everybody on any team is deserving of respect and you are too.
249
00:13:18,160 --> 00:13:21,720
And so that's so important for you to pay attention.
250
00:13:21,720 --> 00:13:26,560
Where are these spaces in which I am treated respectfully, even if I don't have the expertise
251
00:13:26,560 --> 00:13:28,600
of the other people on the team?
252
00:13:28,600 --> 00:13:34,160
Where is it that I'm treated respectfully, even if I look like another or an other compared
253
00:13:34,160 --> 00:13:36,120
to the other people on my team?
254
00:13:36,120 --> 00:13:37,560
Where am I treated with respect?
255
00:13:37,560 --> 00:13:44,280
Pay attention to those spaces and grow those spaces, grow those networks, intentionally
256
00:13:44,280 --> 00:13:47,600
cultivate them, meet with them regularly.
257
00:13:47,600 --> 00:13:50,120
You know that this is a group that respects you.
258
00:13:50,120 --> 00:13:52,840
You make sure you're meeting with them on a weekly basis.
259
00:13:52,840 --> 00:13:56,180
If you can make it happen, meet with them on a daily basis.
260
00:13:56,180 --> 00:14:00,760
For some of you, these networks where you're respected and held in high honor and in high
261
00:14:00,760 --> 00:14:04,640
esteem are outside of medicine, it doesn't matter.
262
00:14:04,640 --> 00:14:10,360
Wherever it is that you are treated with respect, those are the spaces that I want you to grow
263
00:14:10,360 --> 00:14:11,360
and expand.
264
00:14:11,360 --> 00:14:13,840
Okay, that is number two.
265
00:14:13,840 --> 00:14:18,160
Number three is that you treat others with respect as well.
266
00:14:18,160 --> 00:14:23,400
Oh my goodness, I shouldn't have to say this, but I'm going to pause and say it because
267
00:14:23,400 --> 00:14:28,440
many times we hate the way that we're being treated by people ahead of us.
268
00:14:28,440 --> 00:14:31,960
Now we turn around and treat other people behind us the same way.
269
00:14:31,960 --> 00:14:37,360
Like we treat other people poorly and maybe we treat the people ahead of us so much better.
270
00:14:37,360 --> 00:14:40,240
We give them respect because they're like, oh, they're the senior attending.
271
00:14:40,240 --> 00:14:44,960
And then we turn around and we treat med students poorly and that is not okay.
272
00:14:44,960 --> 00:14:48,220
You can be like, well, they treated me that way and look at me, I turned out okay.
273
00:14:48,220 --> 00:14:49,480
Please stop lying to yourself.
274
00:14:49,480 --> 00:14:52,320
Clearly you're sick and you're hurting.
275
00:14:52,320 --> 00:14:53,320
Don't deal out.
276
00:14:53,320 --> 00:14:56,720
You need to shout sickness and hurting to other people as well.
277
00:14:56,720 --> 00:14:58,720
Treat others around you with respect.
278
00:14:58,720 --> 00:15:02,200
So, so critical, so important.
279
00:15:02,200 --> 00:15:07,560
You want to be treated with respect and honor and you really need to sow what you want to
280
00:15:07,560 --> 00:15:08,560
reap.
281
00:15:08,560 --> 00:15:12,360
And so if you want to reap respect and honor in your environments, that's what you gift
282
00:15:12,360 --> 00:15:13,960
to other people.
283
00:15:13,960 --> 00:15:18,760
You go out of your way to gift it to people who don't usually expect to receive it.
284
00:15:18,760 --> 00:15:23,080
For example, the janitorial staff that's cleaning in the room that you're just walking into
285
00:15:23,080 --> 00:15:26,440
to see a patient, treat them with courtesy.
286
00:15:26,440 --> 00:15:27,440
Say good afternoon.
287
00:15:27,440 --> 00:15:29,000
Hey, how are you doing?
288
00:15:29,000 --> 00:15:34,120
It doesn't take three seconds to do that, but it acknowledges them and it shows that
289
00:15:34,120 --> 00:15:36,080
you're respectful of them.
290
00:15:36,080 --> 00:15:41,400
The reason it's important to do this is because you are saying to yourself that you are a
291
00:15:41,400 --> 00:15:48,080
person who gives out respect and dignity to people and that prepares you.
292
00:15:48,080 --> 00:15:54,960
It to some extent privileges you or gives you the right to also receive respect and
293
00:15:54,960 --> 00:15:56,600
honor in return.
294
00:15:56,600 --> 00:16:02,840
But if you are going to be someone who's going to walk and work in environments where people
295
00:16:02,840 --> 00:16:07,560
are treated respectfully, you're going to start to sow those seeds by treating other
296
00:16:07,560 --> 00:16:09,280
people respectfully yourself.
297
00:16:09,280 --> 00:16:12,080
All right, that's number three.
298
00:16:12,080 --> 00:16:18,800
Number four is to pay attention to when seeds of disrespect are being sowed towards others.
299
00:16:18,800 --> 00:16:22,920
Okay, so number three, we talked about you treating others with respect.
300
00:16:22,920 --> 00:16:28,640
But number four is now you, is you paying attention to your environment, not tolerating
301
00:16:28,640 --> 00:16:30,960
disrespect when it shows up, right?
302
00:16:30,960 --> 00:16:32,480
What does that look like?
303
00:16:32,480 --> 00:16:37,360
You're on rounds and the attending says something really dirty or disrespectful, you see as
304
00:16:37,360 --> 00:16:40,000
disrespectful to the medical students.
305
00:16:40,000 --> 00:16:44,280
Don't just join the group and start laughing or maybe the group is laughing and you're
306
00:16:44,280 --> 00:16:47,240
like, oh, that's not funny, but say something.
307
00:16:47,240 --> 00:16:51,600
Now, it doesn't have to be you turning around to the attending and saying, you big bad attending,
308
00:16:51,600 --> 00:16:52,600
how dare you?
309
00:16:52,600 --> 00:16:56,760
You know, usually in medicine, we don't get to do that, not so easily.
310
00:16:56,760 --> 00:17:02,640
But what we could do absolutely is to say, hey, what if we did things this way?
311
00:17:02,640 --> 00:17:04,560
What if we did things differently?
312
00:17:04,560 --> 00:17:09,880
So there's an opportunity for us to be able to share with other people a better way to
313
00:17:09,880 --> 00:17:11,320
do it, right?
314
00:17:11,320 --> 00:17:13,920
Elevate the quality of your environment.
315
00:17:13,920 --> 00:17:17,400
Don't accept environments that tear people down.
316
00:17:17,400 --> 00:17:19,160
Elevate the quality of your environment.
317
00:17:19,160 --> 00:17:21,900
Okay, so that's number four.
318
00:17:21,900 --> 00:17:29,000
Number five is to intentionally go towards environments that are generally healthy.
319
00:17:29,000 --> 00:17:32,920
So you know how it is where we're trying to get into med schools or we're trying to get
320
00:17:32,920 --> 00:17:36,360
into residency programs where we're like, I don't care how they treat people here.
321
00:17:36,360 --> 00:17:38,560
I just want to get into this amazing med school.
322
00:17:38,560 --> 00:17:41,000
I just want to get into this amazing residency program.
323
00:17:41,000 --> 00:17:45,120
And you're not paying attention to the fact that people are being treated miserably.
324
00:17:45,120 --> 00:17:46,760
I want you to pay attention to that.
325
00:17:46,760 --> 00:17:50,160
And I want you to choose environments where people are respected.
326
00:17:50,160 --> 00:17:53,640
That kind of harkens back to some of the earlier things that we talked about.
327
00:17:53,640 --> 00:18:01,000
But it's super important for you to intentionally work towards healthy environments so that you
328
00:18:01,000 --> 00:18:03,920
can build a culture of health yourself.
329
00:18:03,920 --> 00:18:07,640
And the more you find yourself in healthy environments, the more you create healthy
330
00:18:07,640 --> 00:18:12,080
environments, the more you encourage healthy environments for other people, the better
331
00:18:12,080 --> 00:18:15,640
you do as well, the more you thrive.
332
00:18:15,640 --> 00:18:17,440
So that was a short one.
333
00:18:17,440 --> 00:18:22,400
But I just want to encourage you not to tolerate environments that are negative, not to create
334
00:18:22,400 --> 00:18:28,240
them, not to tolerate them, and to build for yourself environments that encourage and nurture
335
00:18:28,240 --> 00:18:29,920
and support you.
336
00:18:29,920 --> 00:18:32,120
Because that is the way we change culture.
337
00:18:32,120 --> 00:18:34,680
That is the way we change the environment of academic medicine.
338
00:18:34,680 --> 00:18:35,680
All right.
339
00:18:35,680 --> 00:18:36,680
That's all I have for today.
340
00:18:36,680 --> 00:18:38,360
I want to thank you so much for listening.
341
00:18:38,360 --> 00:18:41,680
You got to share this episode with somebody else who needs to hear it.
342
00:18:41,680 --> 00:18:45,480
And please let me know how this episode resonates with you.
343
00:18:45,480 --> 00:18:47,400
Send me a message, a DM on LinkedIn.
344
00:18:47,400 --> 00:18:49,120
I would love to hear from you.
345
00:18:49,120 --> 00:18:50,120
Thank you for listening.
346
00:18:50,120 --> 00:19:01,480
I look forward to seeing you again on the next episode of the Clinician Researcher Podcast.
347
00:19:01,480 --> 00:19:06,840
Thanks for listening to this episode of the Clinician Researcher Podcast, where academic
348
00:19:06,840 --> 00:19:12,280
clinicians learn the skills to build their own research program, whether or not they
349
00:19:12,280 --> 00:19:13,680
have a mentor.
350
00:19:13,680 --> 00:19:19,780
If you found the information in this episode to be helpful, don't keep it all to yourself.
351
00:19:19,780 --> 00:19:21,520
Someone else needs to hear it.
352
00:19:21,520 --> 00:19:25,560
So take a minute right now and share it.
353
00:19:25,560 --> 00:19:31,040
As you share this episode, you become part of our mission to help launch a new generation
354
00:19:31,040 --> 00:19:37,000
of clinician researchers who make transformative discoveries that change the way we do healthcare.
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,860
Welcome to the Clinician Researcher podcast, where academic clinicians learn the skills
2
00:00:05,860 --> 00:00:11,260
to build their own research program, whether or not they have a mentor.
3
00:00:11,260 --> 00:00:17,340
As clinicians, we spend a decade or more as trainees learning to take care of patients.
4
00:00:17,340 --> 00:00:22,380
When we finally start our careers, we want to build research programs, but then we find
5
00:00:22,380 --> 00:00:27,780
that our years of clinical training did not adequately prepare us to lead our research
6
00:00:27,780 --> 00:00:29,200
program.
7
00:00:29,200 --> 00:00:35,480
Through no fault of our own, we struggle to find mentors, and when we can't, we quit.
8
00:00:35,480 --> 00:00:40,580
However, clinicians hold the keys to the greatest research breakthroughs.
9
00:00:40,580 --> 00:00:46,200
For this reason, the Clinician Researcher podcast exists to give academic clinicians
10
00:00:46,200 --> 00:00:51,800
the tools to build their own research program, whether or not they have a mentor.
11
00:00:51,800 --> 00:01:01,060
Now introducing your host, Toyosi Onwuemene.
12
00:01:01,060 --> 00:01:03,080
Welcome to the Clinician Researcher podcast.
13
00:01:03,080 --> 00:01:07,640
I'm your host, Toyosi Onwuemene, and it is such a pleasure to be talking with you again
14
00:01:07,640 --> 00:01:08,640
today.
15
00:01:08,640 --> 00:01:09,640
Thank you so much for tuning in.
16
00:01:09,640 --> 00:01:14,760
Today, I'm talking about recognizing your intrinsic value and your worth.
17
00:01:14,760 --> 00:01:18,320
I'm talking about recognizing your intrinsic value and your worth.
18
00:01:18,320 --> 00:01:23,760
And the reason that this episode comes to you today is because of an episode or an experience
19
00:01:23,760 --> 00:01:26,520
I had recently traveling on an airplane.
20
00:01:26,520 --> 00:01:32,680
So this week, I'm traveling to my annual meeting, and I end up on the plane next to a medical
21
00:01:32,680 --> 00:01:33,680
student.
22
00:01:33,680 --> 00:01:37,800
So apparently, so my meeting this year is in Vegas, and Vegas, apparently, I didn't
23
00:01:37,800 --> 00:01:40,840
know this, is a conference capital of the world.
24
00:01:40,840 --> 00:01:42,920
So many people go there to have conferences.
25
00:01:42,920 --> 00:01:47,480
Well, you know, one of the reasons I didn't know this was true is because I've had many
26
00:01:47,480 --> 00:01:52,400
conferences since I started in medicine, and none of them have ever been in Vegas.
27
00:01:52,400 --> 00:01:57,040
So for whatever reason, Vegas may be the conference capital of the world, but apparently not for
28
00:01:57,040 --> 00:01:58,760
the conferences I go to.
29
00:01:58,760 --> 00:02:03,240
Anyway, so it happened this year that our conference happens to be in Vegas.
30
00:02:03,240 --> 00:02:08,160
And so what I say all that to say that it's not really a surprise that I'm sitting next
31
00:02:08,160 --> 00:02:13,160
to someone who's also going to a conference in Vegas, because most of us who were on the
32
00:02:13,160 --> 00:02:17,200
plane to Vegas that day were actually going for conferences, which is kind of interesting.
33
00:02:17,200 --> 00:02:18,360
I shouldn't say most of us.
34
00:02:18,360 --> 00:02:24,080
I'm sure some people are going for not conferences, but anyway, going for reasons other than a
35
00:02:24,080 --> 00:02:25,080
conference.
36
00:02:25,080 --> 00:02:29,200
But anyway, so I'm sitting down next to a medical student who's on her way to her very
37
00:02:29,200 --> 00:02:34,000
first medical conference, and she doesn't have her paper she's presenting this year,
38
00:02:34,000 --> 00:02:36,040
but she's going to network.
39
00:02:36,040 --> 00:02:42,520
She's going to meet people who are going to improve her chances of getting into a residency
40
00:02:42,520 --> 00:02:44,680
that's super highly competitive.
41
00:02:44,680 --> 00:02:48,680
I'm not going to share the residency because she's going to be listening to this and she'll
42
00:02:48,680 --> 00:02:49,880
know that I'm talking about her.
43
00:02:49,880 --> 00:02:52,760
So I just want to keep it under wraps as much as possible.
44
00:02:52,760 --> 00:02:58,360
But anyway, so this is really important to her to get into this really competitive residency.
45
00:02:58,360 --> 00:03:02,320
One of the ways she's learned to do it is to go to a conference and network.
46
00:03:02,320 --> 00:03:03,320
Great.
47
00:03:03,320 --> 00:03:04,320
Nothing wrong with that.
48
00:03:04,320 --> 00:03:08,520
But she's like, okay, I want to make sure you know what am I going to say so that they're
49
00:03:08,520 --> 00:03:09,520
going to like me?
50
00:03:09,520 --> 00:03:12,440
How am I going to make myself memorable?
51
00:03:12,440 --> 00:03:15,800
And I'm listening to all of this and I'm thinking, Oh, no.
52
00:03:15,800 --> 00:03:17,520
Oh, no, baby.
53
00:03:17,520 --> 00:03:18,520
No, baby.
54
00:03:18,520 --> 00:03:19,520
No.
55
00:03:19,520 --> 00:03:25,200
Because I'm thinking if you are not sure of your self worth, then people are not going
56
00:03:25,200 --> 00:03:26,820
to be sure either.
57
00:03:26,820 --> 00:03:30,040
And if for whatever reason you doubt yourself.
58
00:03:30,040 --> 00:03:33,520
I mean, there's some people who put on a good act, they go out there and they pretend to
59
00:03:33,520 --> 00:03:35,280
be everything that they're not.
60
00:03:35,280 --> 00:03:37,480
And they are able to fool most people.
61
00:03:37,480 --> 00:03:39,480
But most of us are not like that.
62
00:03:39,480 --> 00:03:41,740
Like what we believe is how we project.
63
00:03:41,740 --> 00:03:45,320
You know, when you say I can't and you project that I can't and people are like, Oh, well,
64
00:03:45,320 --> 00:03:47,920
I guess you can't because that's what you're projecting.
65
00:03:47,920 --> 00:03:51,160
So anyway, so I remember listening to her and thinking, Oh, my goodness.
66
00:03:51,160 --> 00:03:52,160
I wow.
67
00:03:52,160 --> 00:03:57,000
It sounds like you are struggling with your intrinsic self worth and your value.
68
00:03:57,000 --> 00:03:59,080
And I want to pause and say that, you know what?
69
00:03:59,080 --> 00:04:01,200
I was a medical student 20 years ago.
70
00:04:01,200 --> 00:04:04,640
Now I think I started medical school in 2003.
71
00:04:04,640 --> 00:04:10,320
And so I recognize that, you know, the feeling of you are so much, you are so much before
72
00:04:10,320 --> 00:04:13,140
you went into this thing where you wanted to go to med school.
73
00:04:13,140 --> 00:04:16,040
But as soon as you declared that you wanted to be a med student, then all of a sudden
74
00:04:16,040 --> 00:04:19,240
you were kind of like in this huge group of pre meds.
75
00:04:19,240 --> 00:04:22,640
And there was this sense that you were being weeded out, you know, as you went from one
76
00:04:22,640 --> 00:04:24,120
group to the other.
77
00:04:24,120 --> 00:04:28,680
And then if you went if you were actually at the process where you were, if you actually
78
00:04:28,680 --> 00:04:33,040
got to the process where you're actually applying to med school, then it's like, please let
79
00:04:33,040 --> 00:04:34,040
me in.
80
00:04:34,040 --> 00:04:37,260
I'll just go wherever you accept me, please let me in.
81
00:04:37,260 --> 00:04:40,560
And then you finish med school, and then it's time to match for residency.
82
00:04:40,560 --> 00:04:41,560
And it's a match.
83
00:04:41,560 --> 00:04:43,160
It's like, well, this is a lottery.
84
00:04:43,160 --> 00:04:45,400
We might take you and we might not.
85
00:04:45,400 --> 00:04:48,520
You might end up in Vegas or you might end up in Houston.
86
00:04:48,520 --> 00:04:49,520
We don't know.
87
00:04:49,520 --> 00:04:50,520
Right.
88
00:04:50,520 --> 00:04:56,680
So the whole process is honestly not necessarily created to build up our self esteem.
89
00:04:56,680 --> 00:04:57,960
Or at least not for all of us.
90
00:04:57,960 --> 00:05:01,480
Some people kind of have their self esteem untouched throughout the process.
91
00:05:01,480 --> 00:05:06,040
But for many of us, it's a demoralizing process because you feel like you're begging every
92
00:05:06,040 --> 00:05:08,240
step of the way, please accept me.
93
00:05:08,240 --> 00:05:09,680
I'll pay my own way.
94
00:05:09,680 --> 00:05:11,520
Yes, I'll pay for my own air view.
95
00:05:11,520 --> 00:05:13,440
Oh, no, I'll feed myself.
96
00:05:13,440 --> 00:05:14,880
I'll do everything.
97
00:05:14,880 --> 00:05:15,880
Just take me.
98
00:05:15,880 --> 00:05:16,880
Right.
99
00:05:16,880 --> 00:05:20,400
That's that's how we grow up in medicine for many of us anyway.
100
00:05:20,400 --> 00:05:23,120
I can't speak to everybody's experience.
101
00:05:23,120 --> 00:05:28,160
But as a result of that, sometimes there's a coloring of our intrinsic self worth, where
102
00:05:28,160 --> 00:05:30,800
we doubt what that intrinsic self worth is.
103
00:05:30,800 --> 00:05:32,620
And that is a challenge.
104
00:05:32,620 --> 00:05:39,080
And so what I want to share with you are five ways that you can think about building up
105
00:05:39,080 --> 00:05:40,080
your self worth.
106
00:05:40,080 --> 00:05:44,000
OK, five ways you can think about building up your self worth.
107
00:05:44,000 --> 00:05:47,000
And why is it important?
108
00:05:47,000 --> 00:05:51,200
It is important because you can't give what you don't have.
109
00:05:51,200 --> 00:05:58,540
And if you do not think of yourself as valuable, you cannot create value for other people.
110
00:05:58,540 --> 00:06:00,040
It's just the bottom line.
111
00:06:00,040 --> 00:06:03,640
Yeah, in medical school and academic medicine, we fake it a lot.
112
00:06:03,640 --> 00:06:06,200
And for many of us, we're faking it until we're making it.
113
00:06:06,200 --> 00:06:11,000
And to be honest, faking it can get you can get you a good bit of the way, but it doesn't
114
00:06:11,000 --> 00:06:12,000
take you far.
115
00:06:12,000 --> 00:06:13,960
It doesn't let you soar in the mountains.
116
00:06:13,960 --> 00:06:15,960
It doesn't let you soar like an eagle.
117
00:06:15,960 --> 00:06:18,800
It doesn't really help you thrive.
118
00:06:18,800 --> 00:06:22,520
You make it, but you don't thrive faking it.
119
00:06:22,520 --> 00:06:28,820
And so what's most important is that you recognize the value that you bring, your intrinsic worth
120
00:06:28,820 --> 00:06:33,340
and value so that you can give it as a gift to other people.
121
00:06:33,340 --> 00:06:38,160
Because until you recognize the gift that you have, the gift that you are, the gift
122
00:06:38,160 --> 00:06:41,720
that you carry, you cannot give it to somebody else.
123
00:06:41,720 --> 00:06:46,500
And so recognizing your intrinsic value and self worth is so important.
124
00:06:46,500 --> 00:06:47,840
Five things.
125
00:06:47,840 --> 00:06:55,040
The first is to get away from people who tear down your intrinsic value and your self worth.
126
00:06:55,040 --> 00:07:01,920
Yes, this may be the hardest and yet the most important step on your journey to clarifying
127
00:07:01,920 --> 00:07:04,720
your intrinsic value and self worth.
128
00:07:04,720 --> 00:07:11,160
This may be the single most important thing is to leave the people who tear you down.
129
00:07:11,160 --> 00:07:16,840
This is really hard because here's the thing in medicine, we're surrounded by so much subjective
130
00:07:16,840 --> 00:07:22,880
feedback that may not actually enhance us as much as it tears us down.
131
00:07:22,880 --> 00:07:27,920
And the reason it tears us down is because people who are broken and wounded tend to
132
00:07:27,920 --> 00:07:30,400
try to break and wound other people as well.
133
00:07:30,400 --> 00:07:32,440
They're not even doing it intentionally.
134
00:07:32,440 --> 00:07:34,120
It's just all they have is brokenness.
135
00:07:34,120 --> 00:07:35,720
So that's all they can give.
136
00:07:35,720 --> 00:07:40,040
If all they have is brokenness, then they're just shards of glass waiting to hurt the next
137
00:07:40,040 --> 00:07:41,040
person.
138
00:07:41,040 --> 00:07:46,080
And so people who are wounded and broken actually tend to wound and break other people too.
139
00:07:46,080 --> 00:07:49,520
And so the moment you recognize that you're in a situation where you feel like you're
140
00:07:49,520 --> 00:07:54,000
being torn down, where you feel like you're being made to feel less than, it is time to
141
00:07:54,000 --> 00:07:55,760
leave that environment.
142
00:07:55,760 --> 00:07:58,520
If you're like, wait a minute, I'm on the rotation for another six weeks.
143
00:07:58,520 --> 00:07:59,760
What are you talking about?
144
00:07:59,760 --> 00:08:02,000
Yeah, that's a really great point.
145
00:08:02,000 --> 00:08:06,560
The question is, how do you fortify yourself against this negativity or how do you address
146
00:08:06,560 --> 00:08:07,560
it head on?
147
00:08:07,560 --> 00:08:13,920
How do you say, hey, I get that you yell, but when you yell, I feel X, Y, Z.
148
00:08:13,920 --> 00:08:18,600
What I'm saying is it's true that you may not necessarily feel like you have agency
149
00:08:18,600 --> 00:08:22,760
and the people who surround you, especially if you're early on in your training, but you
150
00:08:22,760 --> 00:08:23,960
should get help.
151
00:08:23,960 --> 00:08:25,600
Don't accept it as your default.
152
00:08:25,600 --> 00:08:27,480
Don't say it's just six more weeks.
153
00:08:27,480 --> 00:08:28,480
I can take this bruising.
154
00:08:28,480 --> 00:08:31,240
I can take the battering for it.
155
00:08:31,240 --> 00:08:32,240
Don't do it.
156
00:08:32,240 --> 00:08:33,240
Just don't do it.
157
00:08:33,240 --> 00:08:35,160
Don't take it for six weeks.
158
00:08:35,160 --> 00:08:36,680
What can you do about it?
159
00:08:36,680 --> 00:08:40,400
And sometimes it takes you being bold and courageous and saying, hey, is it okay if
160
00:08:40,400 --> 00:08:41,400
I switch teams?
161
00:08:41,400 --> 00:08:47,720
I know people don't usually switch teams until after six weeks, but to some extent I'm feeling
162
00:08:47,720 --> 00:08:51,440
a little bit overwhelmed in this particular team and it's not them.
163
00:08:51,440 --> 00:08:53,680
It probably just is my personality.
164
00:08:53,680 --> 00:08:56,720
And I wonder if there's another team that I could be matched with.
165
00:08:56,720 --> 00:08:59,960
But what I'm saying, I'm not telling you what to say or what to do.
166
00:08:59,960 --> 00:09:04,800
What I'm saying is that if you are in a negative situation, a situation that tears you down,
167
00:09:04,800 --> 00:09:07,420
please take steps to get out of it.
168
00:09:07,420 --> 00:09:09,080
Don't say I'm just a med student.
169
00:09:09,080 --> 00:09:11,060
I have to do this for six weeks.
170
00:09:11,060 --> 00:09:14,440
I want you to take the steps to fix it.
171
00:09:14,440 --> 00:09:17,560
And I go, no, they're going to fire me from this med school.
172
00:09:17,560 --> 00:09:23,680
They probably won't take steps because the more you're being torn down, the more you're
173
00:09:23,680 --> 00:09:25,400
being torn down.
174
00:09:25,400 --> 00:09:29,680
And the more you're being torn down, the harder it is to recover.
175
00:09:29,680 --> 00:09:33,800
And I know that there are a lot of places in medicine where people tear people down.
176
00:09:33,800 --> 00:09:35,160
It should not be the norm.
177
00:09:35,160 --> 00:09:37,120
And I don't want you to accept it.
178
00:09:37,120 --> 00:09:42,400
Just because abuse is rampant in the world doesn't mean it has to be your reality.
179
00:09:42,400 --> 00:09:45,680
And if you're in an abusive situation and you're looking around and you're saying, well,
180
00:09:45,680 --> 00:09:49,000
everybody else is getting abused, I'm saying, I don't know what's happening with everybody
181
00:09:49,000 --> 00:09:51,680
else, but don't accept it for yourself.
182
00:09:51,680 --> 00:09:57,280
So if the first step, and it's the most important, the hardest step is to get out of environments
183
00:09:57,280 --> 00:09:59,480
where you're being torn down.
184
00:09:59,480 --> 00:10:03,720
And this is probably a step where you're not going to take, you may not want to take it
185
00:10:03,720 --> 00:10:06,760
alone, especially if you feel like you're powerless in the system.
186
00:10:06,760 --> 00:10:10,440
I want to pause and say you were never powerless, but sometimes we feel that way.
187
00:10:10,440 --> 00:10:13,840
And if you feel that way, it is appropriate to get help.
188
00:10:13,840 --> 00:10:15,680
This is where a coach could be helpful.
189
00:10:15,680 --> 00:10:19,120
For some of you, maybe it's a therapist that's helpful for you to process your thoughts and
190
00:10:19,120 --> 00:10:20,440
think, how do I want to do?
191
00:10:20,440 --> 00:10:21,440
How do I want to do this?
192
00:10:21,440 --> 00:10:22,800
How do I want to handle this?
193
00:10:22,800 --> 00:10:27,560
One of the reasons I recommend a coach, clearly I'm biased because I am one, but one of the
194
00:10:27,560 --> 00:10:32,240
reasons I recommend a coach is because it's not so much about dwelling in the past of what
195
00:10:32,240 --> 00:10:35,560
happened or what could have been done differently.
196
00:10:35,560 --> 00:10:38,200
It's really about what do I want to do right now?
197
00:10:38,200 --> 00:10:39,760
How do I want to move forward?
198
00:10:39,760 --> 00:10:45,400
And to really help you think through what strategies you can use to advance beyond the
199
00:10:45,400 --> 00:10:47,520
situation that you're in right now.
200
00:10:47,520 --> 00:10:50,800
So anyway, I spent a lot of time on that, but it's so important to say the first step
201
00:10:50,800 --> 00:10:54,920
is to get away from where they're tearing you down because no matter what you do, if
202
00:10:54,920 --> 00:10:58,560
poison is being poured into you, it's going to continue to hurt you.
203
00:10:58,560 --> 00:11:01,120
So you want to get away from this negative environment.
204
00:11:01,120 --> 00:11:02,120
Okay.
205
00:11:02,120 --> 00:11:09,600
The second thing you want to do is along those lines, you want to start to create new environments
206
00:11:09,600 --> 00:11:14,160
intentionally that are nurturing environments that build you up.
207
00:11:14,160 --> 00:11:15,160
How do you do that?
208
00:11:15,160 --> 00:11:16,160
Okay.
209
00:11:16,160 --> 00:11:21,280
There are people you talk to and when you leave their presence, you feel better than
210
00:11:21,280 --> 00:11:22,520
when you started.
211
00:11:22,520 --> 00:11:25,640
You feel uplifted, you feel encouraged.
212
00:11:25,640 --> 00:11:27,280
Those are the people you want to hang around.
213
00:11:27,280 --> 00:11:32,040
You want to begin to cultivate a network of people who encourage you to be who you are,
214
00:11:32,040 --> 00:11:33,880
who encourage you in a good way.
215
00:11:33,880 --> 00:11:38,680
Now this is not to say like only be around the people who make you feel good.
216
00:11:38,680 --> 00:11:40,800
To some extent it's yes and it's no.
217
00:11:40,800 --> 00:11:43,520
It's that you know what, in medicine there are going to be so many things that are going
218
00:11:43,520 --> 00:11:44,520
to make you feel bad.
219
00:11:44,520 --> 00:11:47,520
So many things are going to tear you down or we're going to try to tear you down.
220
00:11:47,520 --> 00:11:53,000
Yes, why not build up a cadre and fortify yourself with people who are going to lift
221
00:11:53,000 --> 00:11:56,640
you up because there's so much negativity in the system.
222
00:11:56,640 --> 00:12:02,560
Why not be ready to combat that negativity with a team that supports you with encouragement
223
00:12:02,560 --> 00:12:03,560
and positivity?
224
00:12:03,560 --> 00:12:04,560
Why not?
225
00:12:04,560 --> 00:12:05,560
Why not?
226
00:12:05,560 --> 00:12:10,080
Because you're going to have to work with people that you have no power over like the
227
00:12:10,080 --> 00:12:11,080
assignments.
228
00:12:11,080 --> 00:12:13,320
Like you just get stuck with this resident, there you are.
229
00:12:13,320 --> 00:12:16,240
You're stuck with this attending, there you are.
230
00:12:16,240 --> 00:12:20,640
So why not, if you can cultivate environments where you are nurtured and supported, why
231
00:12:20,640 --> 00:12:22,080
wouldn't you do that?
232
00:12:22,080 --> 00:12:26,560
Why would you leave your experience to the default?
233
00:12:26,560 --> 00:12:27,560
Why would you?
234
00:12:27,560 --> 00:12:31,320
And so what I'm encouraging you to do is to begin to pay attention to how people make
235
00:12:31,320 --> 00:12:37,880
you feel and begin to grow your networks of people who treat you with respect and honor.
236
00:12:37,880 --> 00:12:40,600
I just want to pause there.
237
00:12:40,600 --> 00:12:43,280
People who treat you with respect and honor.
238
00:12:43,280 --> 00:12:47,160
You know, medicine is a very hierarchical space and people really feel like, hey, I'm
239
00:12:47,160 --> 00:12:48,160
your attending.
240
00:12:48,160 --> 00:12:50,560
I've earned this 20 years worth of respect.
241
00:12:50,560 --> 00:12:51,560
And you know what?
242
00:12:51,560 --> 00:12:56,120
People are people and everybody wants to be respected and some people for their seniority.
243
00:12:56,120 --> 00:12:59,800
But no matter how senior you are, everybody around you deserves respect.
244
00:12:59,800 --> 00:13:05,440
The youngest person on the team, the med student who just came off of basic sciences yesterday
245
00:13:05,440 --> 00:13:07,180
deserves respect.
246
00:13:07,180 --> 00:13:12,020
There is nobody on the team, regardless of their race, gender, color, creed, that does
247
00:13:12,020 --> 00:13:13,820
not deserve respect.
248
00:13:13,820 --> 00:13:18,160
And so everybody on any team is deserving of respect and you are too.
249
00:13:18,160 --> 00:13:21,720
And so that's so important for you to pay attention.
250
00:13:21,720 --> 00:13:26,560
Where are these spaces in which I am treated respectfully, even if I don't have the expertise
251
00:13:26,560 --> 00:13:28,600
of the other people on the team?
252
00:13:28,600 --> 00:13:34,160
Where is it that I'm treated respectfully, even if I look like another or an other compared
253
00:13:34,160 --> 00:13:36,120
to the other people on my team?
254
00:13:36,120 --> 00:13:37,560
Where am I treated with respect?
255
00:13:37,560 --> 00:13:44,280
Pay attention to those spaces and grow those spaces, grow those networks, intentionally
256
00:13:44,280 --> 00:13:47,600
cultivate them, meet with them regularly.
257
00:13:47,600 --> 00:13:50,120
You know that this is a group that respects you.
258
00:13:50,120 --> 00:13:52,840
You make sure you're meeting with them on a weekly basis.
259
00:13:52,840 --> 00:13:56,180
If you can make it happen, meet with them on a daily basis.
260
00:13:56,180 --> 00:14:00,760
For some of you, these networks where you're respected and held in high honor and in high
261
00:14:00,760 --> 00:14:04,640
esteem are outside of medicine, it doesn't matter.
262
00:14:04,640 --> 00:14:10,360
Wherever it is that you are treated with respect, those are the spaces that I want you to grow
263
00:14:10,360 --> 00:14:11,360
and expand.
264
00:14:11,360 --> 00:14:13,840
Okay, that is number two.
265
00:14:13,840 --> 00:14:18,160
Number three is that you treat others with respect as well.
266
00:14:18,160 --> 00:14:23,400
Oh my goodness, I shouldn't have to say this, but I'm going to pause and say it because
267
00:14:23,400 --> 00:14:28,440
many times we hate the way that we're being treated by people ahead of us.
268
00:14:28,440 --> 00:14:31,960
Now we turn around and treat other people behind us the same way.
269
00:14:31,960 --> 00:14:37,360
Like we treat other people poorly and maybe we treat the people ahead of us so much better.
270
00:14:37,360 --> 00:14:40,240
We give them respect because they're like, oh, they're the senior attending.
271
00:14:40,240 --> 00:14:44,960
And then we turn around and we treat med students poorly and that is not okay.
272
00:14:44,960 --> 00:14:48,220
You can be like, well, they treated me that way and look at me, I turned out okay.
273
00:14:48,220 --> 00:14:49,480
Please stop lying to yourself.
274
00:14:49,480 --> 00:14:52,320
Clearly you're sick and you're hurting.
275
00:14:52,320 --> 00:14:53,320
Don't deal out.
276
00:14:53,320 --> 00:14:56,720
You need to shout sickness and hurting to other people as well.
277
00:14:56,720 --> 00:14:58,720
Treat others around you with respect.
278
00:14:58,720 --> 00:15:02,200
So, so critical, so important.
279
00:15:02,200 --> 00:15:07,560
You want to be treated with respect and honor and you really need to sow what you want to
280
00:15:07,560 --> 00:15:08,560
reap.
281
00:15:08,560 --> 00:15:12,360
And so if you want to reap respect and honor in your environments, that's what you gift
282
00:15:12,360 --> 00:15:13,960
to other people.
283
00:15:13,960 --> 00:15:18,760
You go out of your way to gift it to people who don't usually expect to receive it.
284
00:15:18,760 --> 00:15:23,080
For example, the janitorial staff that's cleaning in the room that you're just walking into
285
00:15:23,080 --> 00:15:26,440
to see a patient, treat them with courtesy.
286
00:15:26,440 --> 00:15:27,440
Say good afternoon.
287
00:15:27,440 --> 00:15:29,000
Hey, how are you doing?
288
00:15:29,000 --> 00:15:34,120
It doesn't take three seconds to do that, but it acknowledges them and it shows that
289
00:15:34,120 --> 00:15:36,080
you're respectful of them.
290
00:15:36,080 --> 00:15:41,400
The reason it's important to do this is because you are saying to yourself that you are a
291
00:15:41,400 --> 00:15:48,080
person who gives out respect and dignity to people and that prepares you.
292
00:15:48,080 --> 00:15:54,960
It to some extent privileges you or gives you the right to also receive respect and
293
00:15:54,960 --> 00:15:56,600
honor in return.
294
00:15:56,600 --> 00:16:02,840
But if you are going to be someone who's going to walk and work in environments where people
295
00:16:02,840 --> 00:16:07,560
are treated respectfully, you're going to start to sow those seeds by treating other
296
00:16:07,560 --> 00:16:09,280
people respectfully yourself.
297
00:16:09,280 --> 00:16:12,080
All right, that's number three.
298
00:16:12,080 --> 00:16:18,800
Number four is to pay attention to when seeds of disrespect are being sowed towards others.
299
00:16:18,800 --> 00:16:22,920
Okay, so number three, we talked about you treating others with respect.
300
00:16:22,920 --> 00:16:28,640
But number four is now you, is you paying attention to your environment, not tolerating
301
00:16:28,640 --> 00:16:30,960
disrespect when it shows up, right?
302
00:16:30,960 --> 00:16:32,480
What does that look like?
303
00:16:32,480 --> 00:16:37,360
You're on rounds and the attending says something really dirty or disrespectful, you see as
304
00:16:37,360 --> 00:16:40,000
disrespectful to the medical students.
305
00:16:40,000 --> 00:16:44,280
Don't just join the group and start laughing or maybe the group is laughing and you're
306
00:16:44,280 --> 00:16:47,240
like, oh, that's not funny, but say something.
307
00:16:47,240 --> 00:16:51,600
Now, it doesn't have to be you turning around to the attending and saying, you big bad attending,
308
00:16:51,600 --> 00:16:52,600
how dare you?
309
00:16:52,600 --> 00:16:56,760
You know, usually in medicine, we don't get to do that, not so easily.
310
00:16:56,760 --> 00:17:02,640
But what we could do absolutely is to say, hey, what if we did things this way?
311
00:17:02,640 --> 00:17:04,560
What if we did things differently?
312
00:17:04,560 --> 00:17:09,880
So there's an opportunity for us to be able to share with other people a better way to
313
00:17:09,880 --> 00:17:11,320
do it, right?
314
00:17:11,320 --> 00:17:13,920
Elevate the quality of your environment.
315
00:17:13,920 --> 00:17:17,400
Don't accept environments that tear people down.
316
00:17:17,400 --> 00:17:19,160
Elevate the quality of your environment.
317
00:17:19,160 --> 00:17:21,900
Okay, so that's number four.
318
00:17:21,900 --> 00:17:29,000
Number five is to intentionally go towards environments that are generally healthy.
319
00:17:29,000 --> 00:17:32,920
So you know how it is where we're trying to get into med schools or we're trying to get
320
00:17:32,920 --> 00:17:36,360
into residency programs where we're like, I don't care how they treat people here.
321
00:17:36,360 --> 00:17:38,560
I just want to get into this amazing med school.
322
00:17:38,560 --> 00:17:41,000
I just want to get into this amazing residency program.
323
00:17:41,000 --> 00:17:45,120
And you're not paying attention to the fact that people are being treated miserably.
324
00:17:45,120 --> 00:17:46,760
I want you to pay attention to that.
325
00:17:46,760 --> 00:17:50,160
And I want you to choose environments where people are respected.
326
00:17:50,160 --> 00:17:53,640
That kind of harkens back to some of the earlier things that we talked about.
327
00:17:53,640 --> 00:18:01,000
But it's super important for you to intentionally work towards healthy environments so that you
328
00:18:01,000 --> 00:18:03,920
can build a culture of health yourself.
329
00:18:03,920 --> 00:18:07,640
And the more you find yourself in healthy environments, the more you create healthy
330
00:18:07,640 --> 00:18:12,080
environments, the more you encourage healthy environments for other people, the better
331
00:18:12,080 --> 00:18:15,640
you do as well, the more you thrive.
332
00:18:15,640 --> 00:18:17,440
So that was a short one.
333
00:18:17,440 --> 00:18:22,400
But I just want to encourage you not to tolerate environments that are negative, not to create
334
00:18:22,400 --> 00:18:28,240
them, not to tolerate them, and to build for yourself environments that encourage and nurture
335
00:18:28,240 --> 00:18:29,920
and support you.
336
00:18:29,920 --> 00:18:32,120
Because that is the way we change culture.
337
00:18:32,120 --> 00:18:34,680
That is the way we change the environment of academic medicine.
338
00:18:34,680 --> 00:18:35,680
All right.
339
00:18:35,680 --> 00:18:36,680
That's all I have for today.
340
00:18:36,680 --> 00:18:38,360
I want to thank you so much for listening.
341
00:18:38,360 --> 00:18:41,680
You got to share this episode with somebody else who needs to hear it.
342
00:18:41,680 --> 00:18:45,480
And please let me know how this episode resonates with you.
343
00:18:45,480 --> 00:18:47,400
Send me a message, a DM on LinkedIn.
344
00:18:47,400 --> 00:18:49,120
I would love to hear from you.
345
00:18:49,120 --> 00:18:50,120
Thank you for listening.
346
00:18:50,120 --> 00:19:01,480
I look forward to seeing you again on the next episode of the Clinician Researcher Podcast.
347
00:19:01,480 --> 00:19:06,840
Thanks for listening to this episode of the Clinician Researcher Podcast, where academic
348
00:19:06,840 --> 00:19:12,280
clinicians learn the skills to build their own research program, whether or not they
349
00:19:12,280 --> 00:19:13,680
have a mentor.
350
00:19:13,680 --> 00:19:19,780
If you found the information in this episode to be helpful, don't keep it all to yourself.
351
00:19:19,780 --> 00:19:21,520
Someone else needs to hear it.
352
00:19:21,520 --> 00:19:25,560
So take a minute right now and share it.
353
00:19:25,560 --> 00:19:31,040
As you share this episode, you become part of our mission to help launch a new generation
354
00:19:31,040 --> 00:19:37,000
of clinician researchers who make transformative discoveries that change the way we do healthcare.
Sign up for our weekly newsletter
Listen On
New to Clinician Researcher?
Feb. 5, 2024
Keys to Your Success - The Importance of Focus
In this episode, we explore the pivotal role of focus. In the journey to becoming a clinician scientist, we discuss the complexities of balancing clinical responsibilities, research, and administrative duties. Key Points Disc...
Jan. 5, 2024
Welcome to 2024!
In this episode, the Clinician Researcher Podcast sets off Season 2 with a focus on supporting clinicians transitioning to researchers while emphasizing authenticity and individuality. Key Points Discussed: Transitioning to a...
Sept. 4, 2023
How to negotiate your salary
Salary negotiations in academic medicine can be challenging. It is especially challenging because no one teaches you how to negotiate well. In this episode, we break down the salary negotiation process. This process highlight...
Aug. 7, 2023
How to negotiate for protected time
In this episode, we explore the art of negotiating protected time. Negotiate time to advance your research and career by doing the following things: Get clarity on what protected time will do for you. Develop a strategic plan...
Aug. 3, 2023
Why do I need protected time?
Podcast Show Notes - Clinician Researcher, Episode 3: Why do I need protected time? Welcome to another enlightening episode of the "Clinician Researcher" podcast. In this episode, we delve into the concept of "Protected Time"...
Aug. 2, 2023
Can I succeed with or without a mentor?
Podcast Show Notes - Clinician Researcher, Episode 2: Can I Succeed with or without a Mentor? Did you know that mentorship plays a crucial role in shaping the success of clinicians and researchers? According to a systematic r...
Aug. 1, 2023
Why Clinicians Should Lead Research
Welcome to the inaugural episode of the "Clinician Researcher" podcast, where we empower clinicians to become successful research leaders. In this inaugural episode, we explore why clinicians should lead research programs. We...