Crossroads

…So we’re back! Or not, depending on how “essential” you are. The events of 2020 have been unexpected, to say the least. Who would have predicted at the end of 2019 that we were in for all of this? In the past few months, our collective value set has been turned completely upside down. We’ve learned many things that we would never have previously believed possible:

• You may be allowed to work from home. In fact, working in your sweatpants is encouraged.
• If you have to go into work, you are ESSENTIAL. This may be contrary to what your manager has told you previously when he caught you slacking off.
• By the way, your manager is at home in his sweatpants.
• Hair and makeup are now optional and possibly computer-generated.
• You will never EVER complain about your kid’s teacher again.
• You now consider your local postal workers and other package carriers as family members.
• Your house is now supported by a pillar of hoarded toilet paper in your basement.
• This is partially made possible by the fact that you’ve cleaned your basement. And your closets. And your garage. And you’ve built a small annex onto your house with all of your spare time.
• If you have been at work this entire time, you now understand how amazing it is to have your entire workplace clean and devoid of random managers.
• Eating out at a restaurant has never seemed so exotic.

Joking aside, it’s likely that we have all come to a few realizations over the first half of this year that we never could have imagined. So what? As things slowly start to open up again, whenever that truly may be, we know that things will be different. 2019. 2018. The entirety of the 90s… all gone. Heck, you can’t even offer a handshake to the guy next to you without someone giving you a dirty look!

Where are we at today?

TODAY

This might be a good point to pause and evaluate what our days look like Now versus Then. Are you busy enough? Are you too busy? How are you spending your time? Personal and work life balance has probably been a bit blurred. For clinicians, you’ve probably been attempting to keep your practice going… somehow. At least from a professional standpoint, some key areas come to mind where your practice patterns may have shifted:

• How am I approaching patient care?
  • Face-to-face encounters
  • Virtual/chart review consultations
  • Elective vs. Emergent issues
• How am I teaching others?
  • In-person education for patients and trainees
  • Remote learning facilitation and online course creation
• Administrative task completion?
  • Same old stuff
  • New administrative tasks
  • Workflow modifications
• My own learning?
  • Things you have learned
    • Required workplace training
    • Optional career-based skills/certifications
    • Fun stuff from your “Bucket List”
  • How you are learning
    • Online/video-based
    • Books
    • Hands-on

If you look at this list in a pre-COVID world, how does this compare to your list from today? Take special note of how are you learning? Do you notice a change in how you absorb information today as compared to a year ago? Five years ago? Waaaaay back in medical school?

And what haven’t you had time to learn yet? What’s your new Bucket List?

TOMORROW

No Downloadable Goodness this time. Just the list here. Your answers– then and now. Are you satisfied with your list from today?

How are you going to change your answer to find your new happy normal?

Until next time…

— TLS

Photo Credit: Fathromi Ramdlon | Pixabay

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