CMEs for Physician Wellness

Course Objectives

1. Define burnout

2. Describe the effects of burnout on physicians, patients, and health care systems

3. Identify at least 3 common thought distortions

4. Identify common methods to re-frame beliefs that may serve physicians

5. Define self-efficacy

6. List 3 specific strategies to decrease clinician burnout and increase resilience

7. Identify at least one action participants could take to improve their mental well-being

8. Identify at least one action participants could take to improve their emotional well- being

9. Identify at least one action participants could take to improve their physical well- being

10. Implement cognitive behavioral strategies to become aware of negative thinking, to navigate challenging situations personally and professionally

11. Implement cognitive behavioral strategies to create intentional thoughts that will help the individual navigate challenging situations personally and professionally

12. Identify retention strategies for women in medicine

Program Syllabus

Sample Topics.

Understanding Thought Distortions to overcome limiting beliefs and prevent burnout.

1)    All-or-none thinking. In polarized thinking, things are either “black-or-white” — all or nothing. We have to be perfect or we’re a complete and abject failure — there is no middle ground. A person with polarized thinking places people or situations in “either/or” categories, with no shades of gray or allowing for the complexity of most people and most situations. A person with black-and-white thinking sees things only in extremes. 

2)    Should statements. Should statements (“I should pick up after myself more…”) appear as a list of ironclad rules about how every person should behave. People who break the rules make a person following these should statements angry. They also feel guilty when they violate their own rules. A person may often believe they are trying to motivate themselves with shoulds and shouldnts, as if they have to be punished before they can do anything.

3)    Mental Filter. A person engaging in filter (or “mental filtering) takes the negative details and magnifies those details while filtering out all positive aspects of a situation. For instance, a person may pick out a single, unpleasant detail and dwell on it exclusively so that their vision of reality becomes darkened or distorted. When a cognitive filter is applied, the person sees only the negative and ignores anything positive.

4)    Personalization. Personalization is a distortion where a person believes that everything others do or say is some kind of direct, personal reaction to them. They literally take virtually everything personally, even when something is not meant in that way. A person who experiences this kind of thinking will also compare themselves to others, trying to determine who is smarter, better looking, etc.

5)    Fallacy of Fairness. In the fallacy of fairness, a person feels resentful because they think that they know what is fair, but other people won’t agree with them. As our parents tell us when we’re growing up and something doesn’t go our way, “Life isn’t always fair.” People who go through life applying a measuring ruler against every situation judging its “fairness” will often feel resentful, angry, and even hopelessness because of it. Because life isn’t fair — things will not always work out in a person’s favor, even when they should.

6)     Blaming. When a person engages in blaming, they hold other people responsible for their emotional pain. They may also take the opposite track and instead blame themselves for every problem — even those clearly outside their own control.  For example, “Stop making me feel bad about myself!” Nobody can “make” us feel any particular way — only we have control over our own emotions and emotional reactions. 

7)    Overgeneralization. In this cognitive distortion, a person comes to a general conclusion based on a single incident or a single piece of evidence. If something bad happens just once, they expect it to happen over and over again. A person may see a single, unpleasant event as part of a never-ending pattern of defeat. 

8) Heaven’s Reward Fallacy. A false belief that a person’s sacrifice and self-denial will eventually pay off, as if some global force is keeping score. This is a riff on the fallacy of fairness, because in a fair world, the people who work the hardest will get the largest reward. A person who sacrifices and works hard but doesn’t experience the expected pay off will usually feel bitter when the reward doesn’t come.

Processing Emotion and Journeying Into Physical Transformation to Amplify Self-care and Prevent Burnout.  

Full Program Syllabus:

1. Cognitive Distortions

2. Stress Scale

3. Body Type & Genetics

4. Nutrition Audit

5. Nutrition Strategy

6. Mindful Macros®

7. Exercise Strategy

8. Consistency = Results

9. How to Interpret Your Body Composition Analysis

10. Realistic Goal-Setting and Handling Disappointment

11. Visionary Thinking with 80/20

12. The Role of Nutrition in Emotional Health

13. What If This Is As Good As It Gets?

14. Self-Boundary AND Boundaries with Others

15. Building Healthy Coping Mechanisms

16. Lessons to Unlearn: “The Pain Made You Stronger”

17. Emotional Processing and Grounding Techniques

18. Body Composition Goals for Weight Loss

19. Compassion and Forgiveness

20. Strengthening Relationships Through Communication

21. Recognizing What is Yours... And What is Not

22. Increased Vibrational Energy

23. Clipping Those Thick Cords

24. Emotional Charge Awareness and Shift

25. The Power of "YET" & "AND"

26. Should Statements and Anxiety

27. Personalization and Worry

28. Leaning into Freedom for Authentic Personal Development

29. Nurturing Emotional Resilience

30. Protection for Empaths

31. Managing Conflict

32. Creating Your Stress Scale Symptom Chart

33. Radical Acceptance

34. Thought Distortions

35. Allow Growth By Leaning into Discomfort

36. Increasing Your Stress Tendencies

37. What Age Are You Showing Up As?

38. Preparing for Future Challenges

39. Emotional Eating, Willpower, Urges

40. Recognizing What Motivates You

41. Is Your Goal Worth It?

42. Decoding Stress Triggers and Responses

43. All-or-None Thinking with Making The Next Best Decision

44. How to Boost Self-Confidence with Your Goal

45. Identifying Your Core Desires; How Do You Want to Feel?

46. Raising Your Awareness in Every Moment

47. Understanding Old Habits Coming Back

48. Leaning into New Opportunities

49. Finding Balance Amidst Chaos

50. Setting Goals and Creating Action Plans

51. What Drives You?

52. Effective Decision-Making Strategies

53. Staying Authentic to Yourself

54. Embracing the Journey of Personal Growth

55. Letting Go of Comparison

56. Strategies for Mindfulness and Presence

57. Expanding Your Trajectory for Living