Office Visits with Dr. V

Episode 27: Rules Are Guidelines and Are Meant to Be Broken

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Burnout is becoming increasingly common among physicians of all levels of training and practice. But as healers, oftentimes, they are the last people to address the issue and seek help. Here to share her burnout experience and how breaking the box can beat burnout is Dr. Sapna Shah-Haque, MD.

 

Dr. Sapna is a board-certified Internal Medicine physician. She was born and raised in Kansas and attended medical school at the University of Kansas [KU] School of Medicine. She completed her Internal Medicine residency at KU-Wichita as well. After experiencing burnout herself, and watching other physician colleagues burn out, it became a passion of hers to look into different aspects of burnout. While the system does need to change, as it is broken, she started her podcast, The Worthy Physician, as a way to reach physicians and possibly shed light on what is not an isolated situation.



[00:01 - 03:35] Opening Segment

  • Dr. V welcomes Dr. Sapna
  • Shout out to Dr. Sapna’s podcast: The Worthy Physician

    •  

    [03:36 - 18:10] I Define Who I Am

    • Dr. Sapna talks about her background
      • From an engineering student, she shifted to medicine and became fascinated with the engineering of the human body
  • She discusses her residency experience
    • What makes a toxic environment and how to deal with difficult attending physicians
  • Medicine culture is deeply rooted in tradition but to Dr. Sapna, rules are meant to be broken and she always tries to do things differently
  • She recognizes her grandmother’s influence on her way of thinking 
  • After medical school, she decided to go to an underserved area and work for a non-profit

    •  

    [18:11 - 30:05] Realities of Physician Burnout

    • Her first run with burnout was within her first three years when she was adjusting to the work structure in rural Kansas and when a family member had a health issue
  • Part of the problem was also when people that were non-physicians were telling her how to do her job
  • The wakeup call was her best friend’s untimely passing
    • A lot of physicians struggle with debt and sometimes even legal issues
  • Physicians usually put others above themselves and they don’t ask for help
  • Some people who have burnout are not outwardly sad, look for other signs (ex. loss of weight, lack of appetite, etc.)
  • Dr. Sapna’s burnout manifested as irritability and impatience even with small things

    •  

    [30:06 - 36:29] The Road to Recovery

    • Dr. Sapna addressed that she needed a change
      • She cut back on her hours, doing outpatient only, having enough sleep, and working out 
  • It’s important to sit down, process the situation, and start drawing boundaries between work-life
    • After the loss of her colleague, she created her podcast to focus on physician suicide and burnout

    •  

    [36:29 - 37:35] When You Take Care of Patients, Who Takes Care of You?

    • Dr. V takes care of the healthcare provider that takes care of everybody else
      • Go to  https://officevisitswithdrv.com and click on the coaching tab to schedule a free discovery interview

     

    [37:36 - 41:03] Closing Segment

    • Dr. Sapna’s final words: Push the pause button and make sure you are taking care of yourself. Get comfortable saying no.
  • Reach out to Dr. Sapna!



    • Tweetable Quotes

     

    “When people try to define physicians or try to define me as a person, no, I'm going to define who I am. I'm not going to be labeled by these stereotypes that society has. That's just me.” - Dr. Sapna Shah-Haque, MD

     

    “There's no reason put somebody else in the corner just because that was done to you, which, unfortunately, seems to be the culture in medicine. And again, that's why I say rules are meant to be broken because they're not always right.” - Dr. Sapna Shah-Haque, MD

     

    “Self-care is not selfish. It's the way to replenish your cup.” - Dr. Sapna Shah-Haque, MD

     

    “It is okay to not try to fit into a box that somebody else has set for you. Create that box for yourself or, sweetheart, break out of the box.” - Dr. Sapna Shah-Haque, MD

     

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    Connect with Dr. Sapna Shah-Haque, MD

    Website: https://www.theworthyphysician.com/

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theworthyphysician/
    Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/theworthyphysician
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/SapnaShahHaque
    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKeTspKZmx8Isbq9rYlucMA
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sshahhaque/ 



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