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Become A Problem Solver By Asking The Right Question.

Every day I come across several problems that I am not responsible for:

  • Personal computer in the doctor’s room is slow.
  • Printer is out of toner.
  • Biopsy gun is broken.
  • Two out of three elevators don’t seem to work.
  • The only closet in the physician’s office is filled with old patient files.

All of these common problems not only cause delay in our workflow but lead to great frustration in your team. By choosing your reaction to all of these issues you make a great decision between ongoing frustration and improving the quality of your work.  

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Stop The Madness: Four Ways To Reduce Frequent Phone Calls…

...so you can focus on the important tasks again.

Mobile phones for doctors have changed the clinical routine tremendously. The pager is gone and everybody can be reached whenever he is at work. Is this a progress? I am not sure.

Turns out that the threshold to contact doctors in semi-important issues is close to an all-time-low while the number of calls and hence interruptions is close to a peak.  

Get The Most Out Of Your Next Internship

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When Doctors Yell… Here are four steps to deal with it.

On my first day in the OR during an internship in NY a physician’s assistant briefed me: “You know, the surgeon we are  going to spend the next 6-7 hours with yells. A lot.

Keep in mind he is not yelling at you. He is just yelling…“ As it turned out he was right and the advice he gave me was valuable.

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Organize Your Workflow On The Ward With This Strategy And Get Things Done!

Basically, there are two strategies of spending your day on the ward:

Courtesy of IStockphoto.com
  1. Go with the flow and look what’s coming up.
  2. I have a well-structured plan. When unexpected things come up, I modify my plan.

I am a big fan of strategy number 2. Over the years I have learned that structuring your day gives enormous value to the patient, the nurses and myself. With the right plan, you can get more things done and don’t have to put out fires all day long. Here is my plan:

 

In this post I would like to share with you how you can plan your day proactively and an ideal schedule of your own.  I have created an excel template, that you can download for free here.

Click Here For Your Template.

So here is how to create a schedule for yourself and the day on the ward.

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With This App You Can Train Your Clinical Skills Anytime And Anywhere

Never has it been this easy to train your clinical skills on the subway, on the bus or on the toilet. All you need is a smartphone and this app.

How? Have a look at this Videoblogpost.

 
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How To Be Your Patient’s Hero: Listen.

I don’t know about you, but I have a big problem listening to patients. I mean real listening.

Our daily workload increases all the time, our days become more and more procedure- and action-focused.

Over the years I’ve gotten more and more effective in getting things done. I am totally focused on my stuffed to-do-list and listening closely to a patient rarely is on it.

Rarely do I ask an open-ended question and just wait for the patient to talk for a little while. Usually I just ask for complaints, 1-2 minutes of closed-ended questions and I am off to the next task.

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Do Doctors Need The Apple Watch? No, but…

If you’re hoping this blogpost ends with the resume that doctors absolutely must have the apple watch or they can’t fulfill their obligations: I have to disappoint you.

I didn’t purchase the apple watch, my wife gave it to me as a gift when I finished my residency training. I was really thrilled even though I didn’t have clear expectations regarding the service this gadget would provide for me during the day-to-day work…

But there are a couple of features that are quite nice: 

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4 Principles For A Focused Handover.

Since lack of time is a major concern in every hospital, I’m quite amazed how time is wasted during handovers. Anecdotes and stories not only distract us from the important facts but cause major delays.

I am not against a joke or story from time to time, I like a friendly atmosphere at work. But I prefer a focused, concentrated handover and a little bit of smalltalk afterwards, if time allows it.

Over the years I have come to learn that there are 4 main principles for a focused handover. Here they are:

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Why You Should Leave Your Ward For A  Break

Or: How To Make Sure You Don’t Start Smoking, Once You Work In  A Hospital

On any ward I have worked there are constant interruptions by colleagues, students, nurses, relatives and patients.  Almost all of their inquiries are legitimate and necessary but the sum of them will drive you crazy!

No moment during which your brain can rest. There is no chance to finish a thought. Not only introverts (like me) are worn down by this chronic noise and try to escape.