Dr. Frances Mei Hardin, MD is an otolaryngologist and avid physician wellness advocate. She created the brand Rethinking Residency to provide concrete, effective resources for resident physicians, fellows and medical students. The skills she writes about are evidence-based DBT-informed skills, customized specifically for the unique population of young physicians and physicians in training.
During this brief conversation we try to tackle what is wrong with medical training to lead to such a challenging environment. Dr. Hardin states that the residency training phenomenon has to break the cyclical bullying model for us to improve and do better, consider the fact that maybe the socratic method is being used wrong. It's not about grilling and pimping you it's a method where questions are asked bi-directionally to improve knowledge!
If we can pause for a moment, acknowledge our anger and embrace it, we can deeply understand its true roots. If we can take care of our own anger instead of focusing on the other person, we can get immediate relief.
And how right that is! In our short conversation we discuss interpersonal effectiveness and ways to address distress tolerance and emotional regulation.
Dr. Hardin is a fan of stoicism and some of her favorite quotes are:
" We cannot ensure success, but we can deserve it". (stoic teaching, from a famous play about Cato)
"All cruelty springs from weakness". (stoic teaching - Seneca)
"And you're right: this internship has been like the stuff of dreams, like the overpowering nightmares of childhood: aggression, fear of retaliation, and then the resolution, where you don't win, you live."(The House of God)
"When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves." (Victor Frankl)
Pearls of Wisdom:
“Don't lament so much about how your career is going to turn out. You don’t have a career, you have a life” Cheryl Trade
Keep a spirit list and fill it with items that keep you most connected with yourself.
During this match time important to reminder
“We cannot ensure success but we can deserve it"- Cato
Her Happy Place:
“Divorce Beach" in Cabo -its not always filled with people. There’s solitude!
What's on Dr. Hardin's nightstand:
Untethered Soul
Source
Tiny Habits
How to do the work
Adam Grant books
AND…a lovely smelling Dream oil by Santo Cabo
IG: @francesmei.md
Website: francesmei.com
Brand-Rethinking Residency:
IG: @rethinkingresidency
Website: rethinkingresidency.com