This past week, I had the honor of interviewing Dr. Bruce Perry for my podcast, The Most Important Medicine. Holy smokes! If you’re anxious to hear everything he said, you can catch it on Wednesday, October 19th when it drops! But in the meantime, I want to share with you a literal prescription he laid out for physicians. 

When I was talking to him about my work with physicians and other healthcare providers, I mentioned that, in addition to providing free resources and workshops, I host a monthly meeting for physicians, NP’s, PA’s and BHC’s called, The Provider Lounge: A Community to Build Resilience. He was super impressed! As we were discussing how important trauma-informed medicine is, ways to reach physicians, and the importance of continued support, he laid out the following flow for the BEST WAY for physicians to learn. And ya’ll – I was like – we’re doing this in The Provider Lounge! And, folks get CME, PLUS a whole online portal of resources. Here’s what he said:

1. Context is Important: Physicians and other healthcare providers learn best in the context of their work. This means, that, while conferences and continuing education workshops are fun to attend and certainly meaningful, education that is provided within the workday is critically important. That way, you can go back to patients and colleagues and utilize the skills you learn right away! It reminded me of a conversation I had with a pediatric hospitalist while presenting at grand rounds. She said, “Geez, had I known this earlier today, my entire morning would be different. I’m going to change things this afternoon!” Yahoo!
2. On-site Learning: Dr. Perry mentioned that time must be carved out for providers to learn within their work day and work week. When they’re asked to come in early, stay late, or take days off, it can add to the burden they already feel to be focused on their career vs. their WHOLE self. I mentioned that our meetings take place over the lunch hour and, sometimes, before work when physicians might already have time carved out for rounding, meetings, and EHR work. Brilliant!
3. Reflective Supervision: This is something you’re going to hear a lot about in the next year or so. Reflective Supervision is both active listening and thoughtful questioning that occurs on a regular basis. Dr. Perry mentioned that the opportunity for physicians and other providers to have time, with an expert, to get feedback, grow, and gain skills in a safe environment is critical for the evolution of medical practices. It reminded me of one of our Provider Lounge members telling me, “I literally save questions for this group. I know I’ll get my questions answered and find new ways to solve problems in my practice.” Fantastic!
4. Community Matters: The last aspect that Dr. Perry mentioned was the importance of community. He insisted that, because of the high degree of burnout in medicine, folks need to know they’re not alone. He pointed out that the medical field encourages unfortunate extremes of stoicism (always be OK!) and a disconnect from our feelings and from each other. That leads to burnout, overwhelm, and isolation. Community is the antidote. I cannot tell you how often I hear from folks that being part of a group like this is like a balm for their soul. 

Anyway, I share this now because the news was TOO GOOD to hold onto. If you’re on the fence about whether or not being a member in The Provider Lounge is right for you – this is literally the prescription that spells it all out! 

And, if you want to get a taste of what it feels like you can:

1. Join us in a week on October 19th, 6PM PST, for a free workshop on addressing overwhelm: We’re Really NOT OK: 5 Steps to Address Overwhelm Today, or
2. Sign up for a Provider Lounge meeting here! Check it out, see what it’s about and tell us what you think. 

There’s space for you where you’ll grow, learn and be in community.