Author Archives: stfmguestblogger

A Dynamic Equilibrium

Sarina Schrager, MD, MS

Sarina Schrager, MD, MS

The debate about work-life balance seemingly has a life of its own. Every few months there is a new book or blog with the answers. I have two issues with the concept of work-life balance and its meaning in my life. First, most discussion of work-life balance implies that the life part is good, and the work part is bad. We all work too much, so don’t have enough time for “life.” Our conversation revolves around how to do more in less time, how to hire out chores that we don’t enjoy, how to not feel guilty about being away from home. My issue is that this black and white, good and bad, is just not reality. I spent a lot of time training to be a physician. It is a big part of who I am. There are lots of parts of my job that I love to do. It is not inherently bad. In fact, when I am happy at work, I am happier at home and in my life.

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The Real Deal: Serving as a STFM Student Representative

Melissa Robinson

Melissa Robinson
Student Representative

It is mid-morning, and we are on a road trip, driving to the hometown of our son’s fiancée. Well, today she is his fiancée. Tomorrow they will be married, and the car is laden with gifts, wedding favors, and of course the groom’s cake—his favorite, Italian cream cake. It is packed carefully on ice because of the European buttercream. The real deal.

And so, for the first time in many months, I am not studying for a shelf exam, or working on a rotation, or even cleaning up the cake mess in the kitchen. What I love about a road trip is how the time and movement and feeling of the open road invite reflection.

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Teaching in the Hospital: How Can We Do a Better Job?

Lenny Salzberg, MD

Lenny Salzberg, MD

At the STFM Annual Spring Conference this past May, there were no sessions specifically dedicated to attending in the hospital, despite the fact that our residents spend a significant portion of their training on the wards. In my program, residents spend 30% of their required rotational experiences doing inpatient medicine and night float. As faculty members we need to maximize this third of their residency, and STFM is an important place to capture and coordinate ways to achieve this.

How can we maximize the hospital experience? One strategy is to start with one of Stephen Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People: Begin With the End in Mind. What do we want our residents to be able to do after they’ve completed their inpatient rotations?

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