I recently attended the International Physician Wellness Conference hosted by the CMA in Halifax. The keynote speaker was Dr. Hayley Wickenheiser who is one of Canada’s greatest athletes ever and winner of 4 Olympic Gold Medals. She provided many words of wisdom and I left feeling energized and inspired. The following are 3 life lessons I learned:
“People are our superpower” Healthcare is about teamwork and utilizing everyone’s strengths to help patients and ourselves to achieve the best possible outcome.
“Rest is a weapon” The culture of medicine used to carry this badge of honour on how little sleep a doctor can function on. This is so wrong. A rested physician will perform better and provide better care.
“Have a close friend you can reach out to when in need” Dr. Wickenheiser explained that when she is having a bad day, she can text her friend “911” and her friend knows she is need of support. It is OK to ask for help and important to have a friend to lean on. We are human.