"Had I understood the nature of my struggles and felt permitted and supported in actively addressing them, I would have been more effective, a better learner, and more fulfilled. After trying out a few clinical settings, a lot of reading, and some much-needed coaching, I found my identity as a healthy, inspired physician. Eventually, by setting boundaries and understanding my patterns, I discovered what I needed to thrive.

So, maybe we need to reimagine medical education. From medical school onward, physician education and training should be conceptualized as a career-long process supporting the holistic development of life-long learners, leaders, and healers. Certainly, there has got to be a better way than my circuitous, self-designed, and at times, painful and exhausting pathway."

Tracy Asamoah is a child and adolescent psychiatrist and can be reached at Tracy Asamoah Coaching.

She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "It’s time to focus medical education on training the whole person." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2021/01/its-time-to-focus-medical-education-on-training-the-whole-person.html)