Young physicians committee: Your family in the context of medicine: Lessons learned

Abstract

The professional and personal lives of physicians are frequently in conflict and require many strategies and skills to be provide a successful balance between the two. Recent medicolegal, economic, and other forces have increased the conflict between these 2 aspects of our lives. The issues surrounding the interplay between our home and work identities, while pertinent to all physicians, are particularly important to younger physicians. The number of dual professional marriages has increased, and with it comes the reality of professional intrusion into one’s personal life. Choices are constantly being made regarding involvement in home life, children’s activities, religious organizations, and balancing these activities with professional activities, such as extended work hours, professional societies, and continuing medical education. All physicians have to deal with these issues, enjoying success and enduring failures. Younger physicians are often reluctant to seek advice on these matters from older colleagues, who may have had a checkered track record and may not be forthcoming in their experiences. In many instances, we are left to our own devices, with similarly inconsistent results. This committee presentation will consist of brief individual presentations directed toward concerns raised by the committee members, followed by an extended question and answer period. The panelists will address their successes and failures in melding their professional and personal lives, having been chosen to represent the many facets of the complex relationships between our home and work lives. Both “healthy” and “nonhealthy” approaches will be considered, with an emphasis on the consequences of the decisions many physicians make. Audience participation will be critical.