What is Your Game Plan?

James is a smart 14-year-old who loves to play board games. Not just any board games. He does not enjoy playing games which involve rolling dice because chance or luck is part of the game. He enjoys games which involve brain power to develop strategies to use the resources or cards you have.

One of the most complicated games I am introduced to by James is the board game called Terraforming Mars. It is a game which requires players to work together for a common goal (making Mars livable) while competing against one another to get the most points to win the game. To be strategic, it requires you to know the game well – how the game works, how to get points, what is the best way to use the cards and the limited resources you have, etc.

As I write this, we are still in the middle of the production phase of Terraforming Mars. For a game, I am using more brain cells than expected, because I still do not have a good grasp of the game, and because of the complexity of the game.

To do something well, be it playing a board game or at work, it is important to know your system well.

As clinical physicians, it is important to know what resources you have inside out. For example, the environment you are working in. Is it inpatient or outpatient setting? Are there set number of patients with scheduled appointments or are walk-in patients allowed? Who is in your team? What electronic medical record system are you using?

Above all, the most important thing is to understand and remember what your ultimate goal is. For most physicians, the goal is to take great care of the patients, be efficient and go home on time. As you have set your goal, the game plan is to take steps to achieve that goal.

Who are the people available to be part of your team, either working directly or indirectly with you? This will affect how you operate during the day. Know your teammates well. The game plan here is to work as seamlessly as a team as possible.

What and who determines the patient list? Are you assigned the patients or do you have some control of the census?

The environment you are working in is also very important. If you are working in the inpatient setting, your game plan may involve seeing patients by location, seeing the intensive care unit patients first, for example. You may also want to consider where and when you do your patient charts. If you are in the outpatient setting, it is usually a more predictable scenario, except when you are working in urgent care or seeing sick visits. To maximize the efficiency, one of the things you may consider is the set up of the exam room. For example, you may want to ensure there is a computer in the exam room so you can type while the patient is telling you what is going on. You may also want to ensure the positioning of the furniture and the computer in each room is the optimal setup for efficiency. Or maybe artificial intelligence may be a tool you can utilize.

The electronic medical record system plays a big part in your efficiency and productivity. When you are faced with a new EHR system, it may be daunting. Do not be in despair. Allow yourself to face the fear of the unknown head on. Allow yourself to learn new things. Allow yourself to learn the EHR system as much as possible, so you can figure out what the best way to do your chart is. It may be typing your notes, dictating your notes, using a scribe, or a combination of some or all of the above. By knowing the system well, you get to figure out what works better for you and what you would rather avoid.

Knowing the game plan is vital to being efficient and to achieve your goal. Keep your ultimate goal in mind. Know what resources you have. Know each of them well, so that you get to maximize and optimize each operation. This is as important in a game as at work. Do not be afraid of a new system, a new environment or something completely foreign to you. You are capable and you can learn new things. This way, you can take care of your patients well and go home on time with your work done.