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 OB/GYN and physician coach, Dr. Beverly Joyce.
Physicians tend to think of themselves as being able to handle whatever’s thrown their way. We think we’re very resilient, but when it comes to self-care, that may not be the case. Practicing HeartMath can help physiologically!
In an effort to help other physicians, Beverly founded the Physician Wellness Committee at her hospital, and became trained in HeartMath ™ – a breathing technique combined with an emotional component that helps you get into a coherent state. It’s been validated in populations of first responders, police, military, and hospital settings. Beverly teaches these stress-reduction techniques to fellow physicians.
What steps does Beverly suggest we do to improve our self-care?
- Step 1 – Make time for yourself. We’re always so busy and often put everyone else first (whether it’s patients, family, or friends). But it’s important to carve out time for self-care.
- Step 2 – Notice something to improve your sleep. As physicians, we’ve been trained to stay up long hours and perform. But sleep deprivation is a serious issue that can lead to an increase in medical errors.
Most importantly, practice self-care to improve your well-being!
Beverly Joyce, MD, OB/GYN
Dr. Joyce grew up in Boulder, Colorado, went to Mount Holyoke College, and then Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. She ended up in California where she did her OB/GYN residency at Kaiser-San Francisco. She has been practicing in the Bay Area since 1993, currently at Stanford-affiliated Women’s Care Medical Group, in Redwood City. She has delivered thousands of babies, at all hours of the day and night. After experiencing burnout, she gave up practicing obstetrics, and now focuses her career on minimally-invasive surgery, including laparoscopic and hysteroscopic procedures, management of fibroids, menopause, contraception, and other women’s issues. As a result of her own experiences, she started down a path to better understand physician burnout, as well as perimenopause/menopause. In an effort to help other physicians, she founded the Physician Wellness Committee at her hospital, for which she became trained in HeartMath TM, and teaches these stress-reduction techniques to fellow physicians. She also became a Certified Physician Development coach through the Physician Coaching Institute, and now coaches mid-career women physicians through feelings of malaise, dissatisfaction, and the desire for more fulfillment that often accompany midlife. She spent 8 years as Chair of the OB/GYN department, and is a fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists and the National Menopause Society. Dr. Joyce is married and has two college-age children. When she is not working, you will find her on the golf course. She is the 2019 and 2020 Women’s Club Champion at her golf club.