Pump the brakes on your week and take 10 minutes to make your life as a surgeon just a little better…
In this episode of the mini-podcast, Jeff welcomes Stuart Slavin MD, MEd – a Senior Scholar for Well-Being at the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).
Currently, there’s a big focus on system-wide issues in medicine. While there are certainly large system-wide issues that need to be addressed, this often leads surgeons to an “us vs. them” mentality that can be detrimental to progress. Many surgeons feel that these issues fall in the laps of the administrators and ignore their own role in these issues.
Rather than blaming others for problems that exist, we need to recognize that each one of us has a role to play in trying to make the healthcare environment healthier and happier.
What individual steps does Stuart suggest we take to help the system change?
- Step 1 – Recognize that you have a role to play and that you can have a positive impact on the system.
- Step 2 – Move away from the victim mindset and realize that you have the power to change things.
- Step 3 – Stop dwelling on the negative and focus on the positive.
Most importantly, PRACTICE choosing to improve your work environment for yourself and others!
Dr. Stuart Slavin
Stuart Slavin MD, MEd is Senior Scholar for Well-being at the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). A graduate of Saint Louis University School of Medicine, Dr. Slavin completed his residency training in pediatrics at UCLA and then served as Associate Dean for Curriculum. While at SLU, Dr. Slavin led efforts to improve the mental a faculty member there for seventeen years before returning to Saint Louis University as health of medical students that produced dramatic decreases in rates of depression and anxiety in pre-clerkship students. He joined the ACGME in 2018 and is helping to lead efforts to improve the mental health of residents and faculty across the US.