Christmas or New Year's?
I was raised in a family that celebrated Christmas. Not only did we celebrate Christmas, but we did it up big – Santa Claus, Christmas trees, carols, presents, and more cookies and food than you could imagine. Some of my fondest memories of childhood came from those Christmas celebrations. So, the fact that I’ve been a doctor for 38 years and never had to work even one Christmas day is truly a gift and something I still can’t believe I got away with.
During my residency, we all got a bonus vacation over the Christmas/New Year’s season. Half of us got a week off over Christmas and the other half got a week off over New Year’s. In return for this added benefit, we had to work every other night on-call when we weren’t on vacation. As it turned out, many residents didn’t celebrate Christmas or just wanted to work hard in the beginning and have a break afterwards. So, I always got my first choice of having vacation over Christmas every year!
What I remember most about those week-long stretches of every other night on-call was how smoothly it all seemed to go. Who could imagine having the kind of schedule where you essentially lived in the hospital for a week and look back on it fondly.
The thing was, we all had this attitude of being in it together. There were no elective admissions, no elective surgeries, no scheduled anything. We were there only to take care of what absolutely had to get done and care for those patients who absolutely needed us.
We made sure that the person on call the night before got out as soon as possible. We always looked for opportunities to help each other out knowing that we were being helped ourselves. We complimented each other on how hard we were all working and how well we were caring for our patients. We were all in the same boat and worked better as a team than at any other time of the year.
What would it be like if you could face every clinic day, every hospital shift, as if it were like my New Year’s week? What made that week, that was supposed to be so grueling, turn out to be one of the best weeks of the year? What can you do now, individually and as a medical team, to bring each week closer to that experience? Here are a few suggestions.
Realize that you are all in it together - doctors, medical assistants, nurses, patient care specialists, administrators. How you treat each other on a daily basis has the greatest impact on your mood and your sense of accomplishment.
Get to know and value each team member’s gifts, talents, needs, and challenges, so you can call on them when you need help and be there when they need you.
Find a common mission that you all share and remind each other of it each day. It might not be the same as the organization’s mission, but it has to be one that everyone on your team shares.
Recognize and acknowledge your own successes as well as those of your colleagues. Emphasize the positive experiences each day to yourself and to your teammates.
Do whatever you can to create community within your team. Many of us are feeling increasingly isolated and want to feel more connected.
I never want to work every other night on-call again in my life, but I long for that sense of teamwork and support I felt every New Year’s week in my residency.
What do you do to help build a sense of community and comradery within your medical team? I would love to hear from you.
Merry Christmas and/or Happy New Year.
Peace,
Dr. Joe
If you are looking for support for your medical team in creating a greater sense of community and accomplishment, I’m here to help. Also, if you or someone else you know is experiencing burnout, overwhelm, or seeking direction in their career, I would love to talk about how coaching can transform your life. Just contact me at joe@joeshermanmd.com or schedule a free video consultation.