Very true, how loaded professionalism can be not just in medicine but sciences as a whole. It also strikes me how these superhuman professional standards can demand emotional repression too. A friend of mine in public services was effectively shamed and discounted in a board meeting for protesting a supervisor's demeaning language, because she teared up talking about it. Blech.
Absolutely! I'm sure it's true in many professions, the sciences, I can't imagine the culture in law is better ;) And oh man, tears, especially rage tears in the workplace could be several essays on it's own
Such an accurate post - and you are right, being yourself in the "professional" medicine culture is so hard. It was only when I retired (early. needless to say, as I simply couldn't take any more) that I truly realised how stifling and restrictive the medical world is. I wonder how much better patient care would be if diversity amongst medical professionals was encouraged, rather than stamped on.
Thank you for sharing your experience, Jane! There is definitely good evidence that having more different doctors means providing good care for more different patients.
"Honestly, I think that expectations that we are superhuman are, in fact, dehumanizing."
This resonates with me. I am not and never have been a medical professional, but I used to be a schoolteacher, and I often felt frustrated by the amount of extra work that was continually heaped upon me, when I already had more than I could manage. Our cultural values are seriously misplaced. In a country where caring for and supporting one another isn't normalized, is it any wonder our most essential systems and institutions are in a state of entropy?
I appreciate your description of how "professionalism" is used as a covert way of expressing any number of discriminatory "isms" and to "other" those who don't subscribe to some white masculine standard.
Definitely! It's not unique to medicine, just what I know. I don't think teachers use a professional code against each other in quite the same way, but I think that teachers view their job as a calling in a similar way, or probably even more than a lot of doctors and that leaves teachers open to exploitation of being asked to do more and more with less and less, volunteer for this committee, buy this classroom supply, etc.
Actually, they do, and administrators even more so. The code is that the student not only comes first, but is ALL that matters, and if you are in any way prioritizing self-care over the student--even when you feel like you are burning out and have little to nothing left to give--you shouldn't be a teacher. School culture can be shockingly toxic. It's why I'm not going back. I love the kids, I love teaching, but I left when I felt I could no longer endure being pushed and pushed and pushed with no end in sight.
Ugh, I'm sorry. It is really shocking how many industries have the same problems, yet we keep treating it not as a societal problem, not even as an industry problem, but as an individual problem when people have to drop out.
Great, juicy, weird drawing! I am a Martha Beck fan- she makes me feel like I’m not crazy, I’m just not mainstream, which is totally fine and maybe actually wonderful. I continue to be amazed at how you got through med school at all. You managed to bend yourself into crazy shapes dictated by crazy rules and made up systems that have so much money/power/cultural clout. I am always looking for the humanity in my medical providers. Frankly I don’t think they serve patients as well without dwelling in their human-ness. But I do realize that the demands of the system are inhumane. Yes- asking someone to be superhuman is cruel, inhuman.
Thanks, I was a little self-conscious about the drawing in the end because a few things didn't turn out and then my fixes kept making it worse :) The wild thing is you don't even realize the contortions you're doing, in part because I definitely have become more attuned to my emotions, sensitivity, spirituality since becoming a mom. And I agree, I don't think any healing can occur unless you have the capacity to tend to someone and witness their suffering, which you can't do unless you're well-seated in your humanity. Unfortunately there are so many algorithms and “time to X” requirements that the system is designed in a way to wall you off from your humanity.
Very true, how loaded professionalism can be not just in medicine but sciences as a whole. It also strikes me how these superhuman professional standards can demand emotional repression too. A friend of mine in public services was effectively shamed and discounted in a board meeting for protesting a supervisor's demeaning language, because she teared up talking about it. Blech.
Absolutely! I'm sure it's true in many professions, the sciences, I can't imagine the culture in law is better ;) And oh man, tears, especially rage tears in the workplace could be several essays on it's own
Such an accurate post - and you are right, being yourself in the "professional" medicine culture is so hard. It was only when I retired (early. needless to say, as I simply couldn't take any more) that I truly realised how stifling and restrictive the medical world is. I wonder how much better patient care would be if diversity amongst medical professionals was encouraged, rather than stamped on.
Thank you for sharing your experience, Jane! There is definitely good evidence that having more different doctors means providing good care for more different patients.
Thanks so much for this, Amy.
"Honestly, I think that expectations that we are superhuman are, in fact, dehumanizing."
This resonates with me. I am not and never have been a medical professional, but I used to be a schoolteacher, and I often felt frustrated by the amount of extra work that was continually heaped upon me, when I already had more than I could manage. Our cultural values are seriously misplaced. In a country where caring for and supporting one another isn't normalized, is it any wonder our most essential systems and institutions are in a state of entropy?
I appreciate your description of how "professionalism" is used as a covert way of expressing any number of discriminatory "isms" and to "other" those who don't subscribe to some white masculine standard.
Definitely! It's not unique to medicine, just what I know. I don't think teachers use a professional code against each other in quite the same way, but I think that teachers view their job as a calling in a similar way, or probably even more than a lot of doctors and that leaves teachers open to exploitation of being asked to do more and more with less and less, volunteer for this committee, buy this classroom supply, etc.
Actually, they do, and administrators even more so. The code is that the student not only comes first, but is ALL that matters, and if you are in any way prioritizing self-care over the student--even when you feel like you are burning out and have little to nothing left to give--you shouldn't be a teacher. School culture can be shockingly toxic. It's why I'm not going back. I love the kids, I love teaching, but I left when I felt I could no longer endure being pushed and pushed and pushed with no end in sight.
Ugh, I'm sorry. It is really shocking how many industries have the same problems, yet we keep treating it not as a societal problem, not even as an industry problem, but as an individual problem when people have to drop out.
This is such a huge and vital thing to voice out. Thank you so much for using your voice to bring this up!!!
Thanks Mariana, I’m sure you have your own stories to tell about this
Great, juicy, weird drawing! I am a Martha Beck fan- she makes me feel like I’m not crazy, I’m just not mainstream, which is totally fine and maybe actually wonderful. I continue to be amazed at how you got through med school at all. You managed to bend yourself into crazy shapes dictated by crazy rules and made up systems that have so much money/power/cultural clout. I am always looking for the humanity in my medical providers. Frankly I don’t think they serve patients as well without dwelling in their human-ness. But I do realize that the demands of the system are inhumane. Yes- asking someone to be superhuman is cruel, inhuman.
Thanks, I was a little self-conscious about the drawing in the end because a few things didn't turn out and then my fixes kept making it worse :) The wild thing is you don't even realize the contortions you're doing, in part because I definitely have become more attuned to my emotions, sensitivity, spirituality since becoming a mom. And I agree, I don't think any healing can occur unless you have the capacity to tend to someone and witness their suffering, which you can't do unless you're well-seated in your humanity. Unfortunately there are so many algorithms and “time to X” requirements that the system is designed in a way to wall you off from your humanity.