Pump the brakes on your week and take 10 minutes to make your life as a surgeon just a little better…
Jeff welcomes to the podcast orthopedic surgeon, doctor of education, and retired 20 year Navy veteran, Dr. Marlene DeMaio.
When you’re working as a physician, surgeon, or resident, you’re mostly focused on getting through the day and providing the best care possible. This often comes as the expense of your own wellbeing. Looking at your situation from an outside perspective, it can be easier to see the things that may be impacting performance and what needs to change.
In the military, it’s commonplace to have a “battle buddy” – someone you trust implicitly in the most dire of situations. This is the type of person who is going to catch you before you even start falling. Whether you’re a surgeon, physician, or resident, what if you had a “battle buddy” to help you through the good times and the bad?
As physicians, it’s really difficult for us to be objective about ourselves. That’s why having a “battle buddy” is so important. We need someone who can see us in a way you cannot with explicit permission to tell us.
What steps does Marlene suggest we do to implement this “battle buddy” system?
- Step 1 – Find your “battle buddy.” This buddy doesn’t necessarily have to be a work colleague, but you need to trust them and have regular exposure to them.
- Step 2 – Check in with yourself regularly. If something isn’t right, try to figure it out yourself and make a plan of action.
- Step 3 – Lean on your buddy when you need to. If something is wrong and you can’t find a solution, lean on your buddy to find a path forward.
Most importantly, PRACTICE the “battle buddy” system!
Have feedback? Did this episode resonate with you? Share your thoughts by emailing Team@surgeonmasters.com. We’d love to hear from you!
Dr. Marlene DeMaio
Marlene is an honors graduate of Brown University and Drexel School of Medicine. She completed her residency in orthopaedic surgery at Yale-New Haven Medical Center, followed by fellowship in orthopaedic sports medicine at Cincinnati Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center. Her 20 year career in the Navy included hospitals, ships, deployment overseas, and remote/telehealth. Marlene says it was a wonderful balance of sports medicine practice, research and education. She then served at the VA as a clinician, orthopaedic department chief, site GME coordinator, and assistant chief of surgery. She ended her federal career as a physician consultant at the VA Office of the Inspector General. In 2024, Drexel School of Education conferred an EdD to Dr. DeMaio for adult education and leadership. An author of peer-reviewed publications, book chapters and rehabilitation protocols, she also did award-winning research on body armor and knee kinematics. She has been on the editorial boards of the American Journal of Sports Medicine and Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research and reviews for several journals. Dr. DeMaio is the current president of the Clinical Orthopaedic Society and a past president of the Ruth Jackson Orthopaedic Society and the Association of Bone and Joint Surgeons.
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