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The Difficult Patient Solution
Every physician has had a difficult or challenging patient at some point. And, let’s be real, anyone can be difficult for another person, given the right circumstance. But for doctors, especially, demanding patients can be a source of immense stress. The encouraging truth, however, is that it doesn’t have to be, even when the experience is quite negative. There is a solution to handling a frustrating patient, without the extreme solution of dismissing the person from your practice.
Coaching and mindset work are amazing tools that offer a solution. This doesn’t mean that the pain disappears completely or that, when it comes, it’s less legitimate. It simply means that there is hope that interactions will become less personally distressing. That you’ll bring fewer and fewer irritations home. And maybe even come to the place where you can reduce the urge to convince patients of your viewpoint or replay the interaction over and over in your mind. Speaking of which, your mind is where you can make it happen. Let’s talk about how.
“What makes someone challenging or a problem or difficult is our judgment about them, is our thinking about them… other people can’t make us feel anything without our permission.” – Dr. Sara Dill
What You’ll Learn- Redefining the difficult patient
- Separating fact from feelings
- An exercise in thought examination
- Emotional Adulthood versus Emotional Childhood
- Where your power lies: responding rather than reacting
- The slow motion replay
- Recognizing that they have freedom but so do you
Contact Info and Recommended Resources
- Get the book “The Doctor Dilemma: How to Quit Being Miserable Without Quitting Medicine” by Dr. Sara Dill
- Want to catch up on episodes of Stress-Less Physician? Links and Show Notes are all housed here.
Connect with Sara Dill, MD, The Doctor’s Coach
- Website: saradill.com
- Work with me: saradill.com/coaching
- Email: [email protected]
- Get a FREE consultation with Sara! Sign up here: saradill.com/schedule
Want to know more about me and how I learned to stress less? I recorded a trailer for my podcast that includes some of these details. I’ve also included a short bio below.
Meet Dr. Sara DillWelcome to my podcast, Stress-Less Physician. I’m Sara Dill, MD, board-certified dermatologist and pediatric dermatologist. Like nearly all physicians, I used to believe the way to be a good and successful doctor was to work hard, always say yes, and put patients (and everyone else) first. I was successful following that pattern but (as is typically the case) I felt perpetually stressed out, overworked and unhappy.
Compelled by the truth that I’d worked too long and hard to simply accept stress as inevitable, I was determined to find the answer. In order to fully devote myself to discovering a solution, I took a sabbatical from my practice and studied life coaching. I completed two life coach training programs, numerous other courses, read 100s of books, and used coaching to transform my own relationship to work.
What I learned was that stress is a symptom. It all has less to do with the actual hours you work than with your thoughts about your work.
With this knowledge, I took control of my life. So can you! But you don't have to take years or go on sabbatical. I did it so you don't have to. And I’m here to help.
View all episodes
By Sara DillEvery physician has had a difficult or challenging patient at some point. And, let’s be real, anyone can be difficult for another person, given the right circumstance. But for doctors, especially, demanding patients can be a source of immense stress. The encouraging truth, however, is that it doesn’t have to be, even when the experience is quite negative. There is a solution to handling a frustrating patient, without the extreme solution of dismissing the person from your practice.
Coaching and mindset work are amazing tools that offer a solution. This doesn’t mean that the pain disappears completely or that, when it comes, it’s less legitimate. It simply means that there is hope that interactions will become less personally distressing. That you’ll bring fewer and fewer irritations home. And maybe even come to the place where you can reduce the urge to convince patients of your viewpoint or replay the interaction over and over in your mind. Speaking of which, your mind is where you can make it happen. Let’s talk about how.
“What makes someone challenging or a problem or difficult is our judgment about them, is our thinking about them… other people can’t make us feel anything without our permission.” – Dr. Sara Dill
What You’ll Learn- Redefining the difficult patient
- Separating fact from feelings
- An exercise in thought examination
- Emotional Adulthood versus Emotional Childhood
- Where your power lies: responding rather than reacting
- The slow motion replay
- Recognizing that they have freedom but so do you
Contact Info and Recommended Resources
- Get the book “The Doctor Dilemma: How to Quit Being Miserable Without Quitting Medicine” by Dr. Sara Dill
- Want to catch up on episodes of Stress-Less Physician? Links and Show Notes are all housed here.
Connect with Sara Dill, MD, The Doctor’s Coach
- Website: saradill.com
- Work with me: saradill.com/coaching
- Email: [email protected]
- Get a FREE consultation with Sara! Sign up here: saradill.com/schedule
Want to know more about me and how I learned to stress less? I recorded a trailer for my podcast that includes some of these details. I’ve also included a short bio below.
Meet Dr. Sara DillWelcome to my podcast, Stress-Less Physician. I’m Sara Dill, MD, board-certified dermatologist and pediatric dermatologist. Like nearly all physicians, I used to believe the way to be a good and successful doctor was to work hard, always say yes, and put patients (and everyone else) first. I was successful following that pattern but (as is typically the case) I felt perpetually stressed out, overworked and unhappy.
Compelled by the truth that I’d worked too long and hard to simply accept stress as inevitable, I was determined to find the answer. In order to fully devote myself to discovering a solution, I took a sabbatical from my practice and studied life coaching. I completed two life coach training programs, numerous other courses, read 100s of books, and used coaching to transform my own relationship to work.
What I learned was that stress is a symptom. It all has less to do with the actual hours you work than with your thoughts about your work.
With this knowledge, I took control of my life. So can you! But you don't have to take years or go on sabbatical. I did it so you don't have to. And I’m here to help.