Coaching Tips for EM Education Part 4: Attitude in the Moments that Matter
This month, we applied the Attitude cornerstone of Coach Wooden's Pyramid of Success to EM by asking our trainees to reconnect with their core mission, recognize the need for purposeful recovery, and create a brotherhood in the trench.
The good days happen when I practice these ideas, the bad days occur when I do not. Oftentimes, my bad days occur when I do a "right" thing at the wrong time. I become task distracted. During my Wednesday shift, I took 10 minutes for lunch at noon and checked email. An important conference was stuck. So I made a call and whipped off a couple of careful emails. Bam - problem solved. 30 minutes later I realize I had been disconnected from what really matters for 30 minutes. When I finally refocused, I was frustrated with myself, causing my attitude towards everyone to suffer. Even worse, I do this too often at home with my wife and kids too.
My best Peds EM coach was Dr. Adams. She always taught me to overcome EM task distraction by just getting back to the bedside. We had a lot of tough shifts together at the old County Peds ED. In 2001, the 15 year old dropping off the 15 day old who "just doesn't look right"/nearly dead baby was tragically too common.
This week, teach Dr. Adam's lesson to your trainees. Give yourself the gift of simply being a clinician in the arena. No one dies if that email gets sent tomorrow. Give this time back to your patients and trainees. Be present in the moment. No matter how crazy the shift gets, just focus on what matters most in that moment. After one shift, ask your trainees to follow your example. Make it a great week!
The good days happen when I practice these ideas, the bad days occur when I do not. Oftentimes, my bad days occur when I do a "right" thing at the wrong time. I become task distracted. During my Wednesday shift, I took 10 minutes for lunch at noon and checked email. An important conference was stuck. So I made a call and whipped off a couple of careful emails. Bam - problem solved. 30 minutes later I realize I had been disconnected from what really matters for 30 minutes. When I finally refocused, I was frustrated with myself, causing my attitude towards everyone to suffer. Even worse, I do this too often at home with my wife and kids too.
My best Peds EM coach was Dr. Adams. She always taught me to overcome EM task distraction by just getting back to the bedside. We had a lot of tough shifts together at the old County Peds ED. In 2001, the 15 year old dropping off the 15 day old who "just doesn't look right"/nearly dead baby was tragically too common.
At these most difficult moments, Dr. Adams was at her best, giving everyone her subtle yet reassuring smile. When the room slowed down late one night, I asked her how she always practiced with an attitude of such grace. Putting her hand on mine she said "When you do not know how you will make it through a shift, forget the noise, forget even yourself. Instead, focus entirely on that sick baby, the family, and your staff. Trust your training. And everything will be just fine".
This week, teach Dr. Adam's lesson to your trainees. Give yourself the gift of simply being a clinician in the arena. No one dies if that email gets sent tomorrow. Give this time back to your patients and trainees. Be present in the moment. No matter how crazy the shift gets, just focus on what matters most in that moment. After one shift, ask your trainees to follow your example. Make it a great week!
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