Stress Management Tips for Physicians
Doctors constantly seem to be running from one place to the other. As a physician, you have a lot of patients to see and care for, so you need to learn how to efficiently manage your time and how to keep your stress levels under control. This article lists a few useful tips that will help.
If you’re a doctor, you already understand the nasty effects stress can have on your health; but keeping stress to a minimum isn’t easy in your line of work. When it comes to treating patients, you’ll always deal with stressful situations. This means you’ll need to find clever ways in which to keep your sanity during a typical workday. We’ve gathered a few useful tips that will help.
Meditate Regularly
Meditation has a lot of benefits. It relieves stress, teaches your brain how to focus better, and helps you gain clarity and peace of mind. It also has a series of positive effects on your health, which you may already know about — it decreases tension-related pains, improves the immune system, and increases serotonin production.
If you feel stressed on a regular basis, you might find it tougher to clear your mind and spend a few minutes focused on your breathing. If you practice regularly, however, you’ll get better at it over time. Start by devoting only five minutes every day to this healthy practice and gradually increase the amount of time you spend meditating as you progress. Give yourself the opportunity to enrich your life and decrease your anxiety. Here you can find some tips that will help you get started.
Take Advantage of Technology
Technology is here to make our lives easier, so take full advantage of it in order to ease your everyday workload. For instance, medical speech recognition software will help you cut down the time you spend taking notes and updating charts. You will be able to focus more on treating and diagnosing patients. An iPad can help you become more efficient. According to a study from the University of Chicago, iPads helped 68-percent of residents avoid delays in patient care, and 90-percent used them routinely for clinical duties.
There are also applications that help organize medical research, making it searchable and accessible for physicians. A little research will help you find the most useful applications for you.
Clear Your Desk
A messy desk can easily cause anxiety and stress, so organize it neatly. Otherwise, you risk losing important documents, patient charts, or notes. Additionally, a messy desk can also send the wrong message to your visitors. Even if patients don’t enter your private office often, they might walk by occasionally. Your desk says a lot about your habits, level of organization, and attention to detail. You won’t make a very good impression if your desk is stacked with tons of documents and medical journals.
Hire a Virtual Assistant
Virtual assistants will take care of your schedule and appointments, so you can free up some time to follow-up with patients or conduct research. They can also perform insurance verifications, send e-mails for you, order supplies, or respond to patient inquiries. The result? More time with patients, less time with paper.
Whether you work in a big hospital or you have your own practice, these tips will help you relieve stress, make your workflow more efficient, and squeeze in some precious “me” time every once in a while. In the end, if you don’t take proper care of yourself, it will be that much challenging to care for your patients.
