It’s no secret a lot of physicians are feeling unfulfilled at work. The demands keep growing, and an increasing number of patients question our expertise and the science behind it. If you’re among the physicians struggling to feel motivated and passionate about medicine, you’re not alone — and the solution may be found in allowing your values to shine at work.
Understanding Values
Values guide us — they’re our compass, and we generally feel most comfortable and at peace with ourselves when our values are being met.
Many physicians share a desire to make a positive impact in a patient’s life, to alleviate pain and suffering and so on. At a high level, that means we have a very strong value of service. But if you’re currently feeling pushed to the limit — like you’re not cut out for this anymore — it doesn’t mean your values have changed. Rather, it means the circumstances of your work are currently out of alignment with your values.
We have to work within the constraints of the health care system, and there’s a lot that’s beyond our control. So how do we reclaim that feeling at work — and at home, too — so we wake up each day feeling like we are doing exactly what we want to do with our lives? One of the best ways you can get to the heart of this is by identifying your core and aspirational values, and then making changes in how you work to support those values.
Identifying and Writing Your Values
As a coach, I use various exercises to help my clients identify their values and explore how supporting their values can increase personal and professional fulfillment.
The Core vs. Aspirational Values exercise involves choosing a small number of core values and aspirational values (the kinds of things you see in your best colleagues, and, conversely, the things you recognize are absent in your worst colleagues) from a list of about 60 different values. (Here’s A List of Values to get you thinking.) If you’re having trouble narrowing the options down, think about a time you were truly happy at work, and then consider how compromises you’ve made have chipped away at that happiness.
This can really be an emotional aha moment. People who value relationships may realize they’re being distracted by work when they’re with family. Or perhaps your drive for personal growth is taking a back seat to the day-to-day demands of an overwhelmed ED or an understaffed ward.
The Wheel of Life is another tool I use to get a very clear picture of where you might be neglecting things that are important to you. By rating aspects of your life — home, career, finances, health, recreation, romance, family and friends, personal growth/learning — on a scale of 1-10, it becomes very clear where you’re compromising values.
It’s also important to consider what each value means for you. For example, valuing relationships could mean spending quality time with family, actively looking for a partner, or nurturing friendships.
Writing all of this down will provide a framework you can always refer back to as you’re adjusting routines, setting priorities or pursuing opportunities at work.
How to Live Your Values While Practicing Medicine
Once you’ve identified your values and understand what those values look like for you, you’ll be able to think about how you can make adjustments so your values and work are in alignment.
When I was first going through coaching, I realized I was most fulfilled in roles and work where I took on a project, designed and executed it, and saw the positive outcomes for patients. My coach suggested I lead a project on improving patient care, and this served as a stepping stone toward my current administrative role.
You may also need to think a little outside the box, or even look back in time to hobbies and interests from your youth. Say you identified creativity as a core value, and you want to make creating art a priority, like it was when you were a teenager. You could talk with administrators about creating an art therapy program in your hospital or ward. This blending of personal passions and patient care can be very fulfilling.
On the flip side, the decision to stop doing something that doesn’t align with your identified values can be equally powerful. For example, if you tend to finish up responding to email or catch up on the latest literature in the evenings, you may decide to do those tasks at a different time so you can be mindful at home and really engage with your family.
As you go about making changes, be sure to build in accountability. This starts with identifying one thing that you can work on immediately to help you move toward your ultimate goal. It’s also a good idea to share your plan with someone — a partner, friend or colleague — who will hold you to it. Next, set a timeline and establish metrics for success so you’ll be able to stay on track and build on your successes. Lastly, refer back to your list of values regularly, and don’t hesitate to take a pass on requests and opportunities that don’t serve what’s most important to you. [1]
As your values and professional life align, your fulfillment at work will flourish, and you’ll likely find your eyes are opened to a range of possibilities you’d never imagined.