My Greek grandmother once told me that she decided her first-born grandson would be a doctor–the ultimate representation of success for a woman immigrating to the United States in 1929.
In the same sense, before she met my father, my Polish mother determined that her first-born son would be a doctor.
Therefore, I was born into a potent force field, and there was no doubt I would grow up as a medical doctor.
However, my psychology, sociology, and philosophy classes were more attractive in college than my biology classes.
To resolve what could have been a crisis of destiny, I determined that as a psychiatrist, I could operate within the humanistic dimension while still fulfilling the role of a medical doctor.
This realization, coupled with my desire to learn the premier psychotherapy of the time–psychoanalysis–led me to pursue my psychiatric residency.
The Medical Model of Disorder Management
It wasn’t long before I was subjected to the pressures from the insurance industry–an industry that demanded conformity to the medical model of disease–and my career began to take a different direction. Insurance companies would not fairly reimburse psychiatrists for psychotherapeutic interventions.
Instead, our job was to prescribe medications and coordinate hospitalizations.
Although my career evolved in response to such forces, I never ceased to address the psychological and social needs of my patients.
Even in a fifteen-minute medication-management visit, I could carve out the time to discover what was important in my patient’s life and intervene to move them forward. This is what kept me going.
However, in recent years, interferences from insurance companies and state and local government diminished my available time and energy for psychotherapeutic intervention.
As a result, my job satisfaction declined significantly.
The Coaching Model of Life Progression
Luckily, I discovered the coaching profession through events and chance encounters.
As a coach, I have the opportunity to leverage both…
- The skills I developed as a psychiatrist.
- My experience as a business owner and corporate executive in helping healthy patients achieve their ideal goals personally and professionally.
Rather than move a patient from a state of dysfunction to “normal,” I could now catalyze the progression of healthy clients to a more fulfilling and effective life.
Additionally, I no longer have to endure the restrictions and transformations dictated by the government and insurance companies.
Instead, I’m free to focus all my time and energy on assisting my clients to take and maintain the actions we determine will help them achieve their ideal life.
Fortunately, as a physician and physician leader coach, I have gone beyond the medical model and returned to the humanistic perspective I embraced as a college student and psychiatry resident. [Link to Steady Physician homepage]
Somehow, I believe that my grandmother and mother would understand.
Moving Forward
If you’re a physician or physician leader who can relate to my story regarding burnout in the healthcare system, you can benefit from my Physician Steadiness Survey.
This assessment tool will provide you with meaningful insight regarding your level of fulfillment relating to four fundamental values–connection, agility, balance, and self-awareness.
