Physician and Coach

What's new in Impostor Syndrome is knowledge about how it can be complicated by membership in an equity-seeking group. Dr. Lisa Orbé-Austin recently published an important article entitled: Stop Gaslighting Women When They Say They’re Experiencing Impostor Syndrome. The article includes a description of "the “double impact” of Impostor Syndrome, which is the experience that while you are feeling that you are a fraud internally, that simultaneously the external world, as it perpetrates discriminatory behaviors toward you related to your salient identity(ies), conveys to you that you are considered an impostor or incompetent, and/or receiving unfair advantage based on your identity. This serves to make the experience significantly harder to overcome, because you are contending with the internal and external experience of being told you are an impostor, one that may serve to reinforce early personal narratives, and the other that serves to reinforce historically & culturally oppressive narratives."

The Indigenous Physicians Association of Canada (IPAC) is a growing membership organization doing impressive ongoing work in Canadian health care, medical education, mentorship, and physician wellness. IPAC welcomes non-Indigenous physicians as Associate Members. I think the greatest benefits of ongoing Associate Membership would be the financial stability and the moral support that non-Indigenous physicians can provide to Indigenous physicians. 

I have just joined. I encourage all Canadian physicians to familiarize themselves with the work of IPAC and NCIME and to consider supporting IPAC as well, whether by donation or Associate Membership.

We have posted our group programs that will start in January 2022. Our hallmark individual executive coaching programs continue. We now offer three group programs. Physicians Embracing Leadership meets monthly to introduce leadership development coaching in a group setting. Orchestrating Change also meets once per month and is for leaders planning and implementing change whether to services or to culture. Doc On Track consists of a small group of doctors who will meet confidentially for 1 hour each weekend to share their life and career goals, plans, weekly progress and challenges. Prepare to be supported, assisted, and even pushed a bit toward your goals as the year progresses.

These have been difficult times. However, physicians, both individually and collectively, are more powerful than we think, and when we think and act strategically and collaboratively, we can accomplish much! We have posted our new programs for 2021-2022 that will provide Canadian physicians with the support and deep learning needed to make significant positive changes in our lives, practices, and healthcare systems. Check out our newest group program starting this September called Doc On Track.

For a physician, career dissatisfaction is a tragic outcome. The choices that we make now can have a major impact on whether we will have been satisfied with our career when we retire from medicine. The difference between satisfied and dissatisfied comes down to five major determinants that are modifiable. This blog post briefly reviews the five major determinants. These are the essentials, please review, reflect, and, if needed, take action!!!

This blog is dedicated to the physicians of Canada and their efforts to lead positive change for themselves, their patients, and the Canadian healthcare systems. Its name: Physician and Coach is meant to be descriptive on three levels...