My eight years as the director of Physician Health Services taught me that most physicians who are failing to thrive DO NOT suffer from a substance use disorder, nor are they mentally ill, neurotic, or challenged by personality disorders like pathological narcissism.  No, the majority of docs I have worked with were letting their frustration and irritation with our highly imperfect health care system get the best of them.

That’s the mantra I repeat when I catch myself getting worked up about a deep-seated belief, idea, or cause.  Understanding the flip side of the equation helps me to neutralize powerful negative feelings like righteous indignation, bitter disappointment, and utter...

How sad when a PCP calls saying, “My chief warned me that if I don’t dramatically improve my productivity, I’m going to be terminated.”  Such doctors are often patient-centered listeners who cannot bear to shift from healer mode to assembly line mode. Some of...

Each gender equity situation has its own unique qualities. It is up to thoughtful front-line leaders, in conjunction with their teams, to sort things out with level-headedness, curiosity, patience, and respect. Ideally, they will talk with one another and listen hard. Respectful dialogue may propel them beyond the current impasse. Soklaridis et al. suggest “creating a ‘safe space’ where men and women can talk directly about concerns…”

In the “Show-Me State” of Missouri, physicians receive their licenses from the Board of Registration for the Healing Arts.  Seriously!  This quaint term harkens back to a time when newly minted doctors had a relatively easy time realizing their desire to meld...

Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of assisting more than 2,000 distressed physicians – some with burnout, others with ‘rough edges,’ still others with psychiatric conditions or misuse of drugs and alcohol.  Some of these doctors were still functioning well;...

Questions like this get asked by CEOs, CMOs, department chairs, hospital attorneys, and HR professionals.  Although subordinates may refer to him as ‘physician enemy #1,’ the doctor in question possesses impressive and valuable medical skills, and the reluctance to...

She signed her one-line email Badass Surgeon.  She was reaching out on her own.  After a brief exchange, I wrote the following response, which she permitted me to share: Dear Badass, You’re a promising young surgeon with excellent training and experience.  You do...

As noted in our first AdelMED Insight on abrasive physicians, these high-octane fellows often reject the notion that they cause problems and need help.  The so-called high-functioning difficult doctor may be a self-righteous rationalizer and externalizer.  He is often...