Physicians, We Appreciate You!

Happy National Physicians Week! This year’s theme, according to the organization Physicians Working Together, is “together we thrive”. This is such a great reminder that in medicine, we work together in collaboration for better patient care, better results and better relationships.  

Fellow physicians, appreciate yourself. You have been working very hard. The preparation work started when you were a student. It took diligence, dedication and perseverance to get into medical school. You kept at doing your best to graduate medical school and went through more rigorous training.  

You work the inhuman long hours and think that it is the norm for physicians. You take it as a given that physicians are supposed to work more hours than people in other professions. You are training for the mental iron man race without knowing it. You give your all – your brain power, your heart, your body and your soul to patient care. You do not ask for any return other than hoping that your patients will have the best outcomes.  

You then find yourself exhausted. Day in and day out, you are doing your best to see all the patients in your packed schedule, giving everything you have to make the best recommendations. You feel drained and you keep going, operating with no time for yourself.  

You are running on empty and with extraordinary dedication, you believe that you still have something to give. You gradually lose your joy. You do not even remember what enjoying something is like. You are going through the motions. You notice that you are slowing down not because you want to. It is taking you longer to make decisions. You are not as efficient as you want to be. When you are about to pause and think about what the point is to do all this, you push yourself to keep going, because there is no time to rest.  

We appreciate all that you do. We appreciate all that you are going through.  

Give yourself grace. Allow yourself to rest. Rest is not slacking off. Do not feel guilty about it. Rest is a time to rejuvenate, to recharge, so that you are no longer running on an empty tank.  

It is true that our healthcare system is overdue for a major overhaul. You may argue that the overhaul could have happened sooner. As physicians, we have a special bond together. We know what we have gone through and what we are going through.  

It is time to acknowledge yourself, appreciate yourself and what your mind and body need. You are capable. You are amazing. You can do hard things. You can allow yourself to take a break and rest. You can allow yourself to slow down.  

Fellow physicians, appreciate yourselves. We appreciate your sacrifice. Your journey has brought you to where you are today. Take some time to pause and reflect. Think about what you appreciate in life and at work. You appreciate the patient care, the ability to offer the appropriate treatment recommendations for your patients. You appreciate the doctor-patient relationship. You appreciate the opportunity to always learn and grow.  

Physicians are here to help. To help patients through their journey with your expertise. To find more ways to treat the patients. To relieve the patients’ pain and suffering, both physically and mentally. We are here to help one another too. To help fellow physicians who are stressed and overwhelmed. To help and support those who are beyond exhausted.  

Physicians, we appreciate you. Appreciate yourself. We stand together. We support one another. You are changing lives. You are making a big impact, even when you do not realize it. Together we thrive.