How Do You Stay Motivated as a Healthcare Practitioner?
Most people assume physicians are motivated to do their job because of the attractive paycheck they receive at the end of the month. While that may be true, that is typically not the only incentive.
As a physician, you are exposed to stressful and sometimes depressing situations, not to mention long work hours.
Amid all that, it can be challenging to stay motivated and that’s a problem because this line of work requires you to be in your best state physically and mentally all the time.
If you have been experiencing a hard time staying motivated, here are some tips for you.
1. Remember That You Save Lives
Physicians may develop a strong sense of responsibility and significance due to their work’s critical nature and patients’ reliance on their expertise.
However, you do not have to go that far. Simply acknowledge that your knowledge, skill, and talent help improve your patients’ health and sometimes even save lives.
Reminding yourself of this every day should keep you motivated.
2. Take Compliments
Remember the advice you gave to an obese patient to alter their diet or work out to lose weight? Or when you played a part in helping a patient stop smoking or using drugs?
When their life changes, such patients will come back to thank you.
Don’t be modest. Take the compliments and keep them because they will come in handy when you need to remind yourself that you are on the right track.
3. Remember That You are Intelligent
Healthcare practitioners have specialized knowledge and skills acquired through extensive education and training. After all, people have different IQ levels.
Diagnosing ailments requires specialized medical knowledge and clinical experience. Sometimes, patients present unusual symptoms that they have probably never encountered before.
The ability to diagnose and manage complex medical conditions is a testament to a healthcare practitioner’s expertise and dedication.
What’s more, your capacity to prescribe the right medications to treat various conditions is not something that the average person can do. Keep that in mind when everything seems to be going downhill.
4. Reminisce Your Success Stories
When things at the workplace are not going as expected, reminiscing your past and success stories can do you much good.
Here’s the twist: You don’t have to do it in your mind. Take pride in your accomplishments by displaying them on your wall or office desk.
5. Remember That You are Human
Sure, you are intelligent and you are trained to help save lives. Nonetheless, you will sometimes feel like a failure when you lose patients or things do not go as expected regarding your work.
When such things happen, you are likely to beat yourself up about it and that’s understandable.
However, it is not healthy to dwell on this, as it can negatively affect you and reduce your motivation.
Remember that you are a human being who can make mistakes and sometimes has no control over how things turn out.
Once you accept that, it will be easier to stay motivated.
6. Magnify Your Honors
What other professional recognitions do you have besides your medical school certificates? Perhaps you were voted the best physician at your workplace, or a local magazine interviewed you?
Make it a habit to revisit such achievements. They will certainly make you proud and remind you that you are doing something beneficial when things are not going well.
7. Remember that the Weekend is Always Around the Corner
Sometimes, discussing other tips may not get your spirits up. When that happens, the only thing that may work is knowing that the weekend is around the corner.
Healthcare professionals often have scheduled days off or breaks, providing opportunities for rest and recovery from demanding roles.
Even if you will not be free during the weekend, you will certainly have days off, and looking forward to that can give you the motivation you need to face a new work week.
Bottom Line
Healthcare workers often find themselves on the verge of burnout and low motivation.
Although this comes with the job, they must get adequate rest and intentionally motivate themselves.
That way, they will be more productive at work and in the right mental and physical state of mind.
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