It might be a stretch for any physician to imagine how "fun" has anything to do with their profession. I'm not suggesting you become frivolous or that you should take your responsibilities lightly. I am suggesting you find ways to lighten your days, for your own benefit.
Yours is not the jolliest of professions on the planet. It's hard to go home and switch off. How can you focus on being with your children in a playful manner, when your head is elsewhere, perhaps with a dying child? How can you interact with anyone cheerfully, when each moment of your workday involves sickness and death?
As a human being, having fun is your birthright. Learn to incorporate some fun into your day and YOU will feel better for it… and so will your staff, your family, and your patients.
Need ideas? Here's 10 to get you started…
1. A physician I know has a smiley face sticker inside the cover of his bed lamp – when patients look up, they see this big smiley face. He also has a large, stuffed toy giraffe in one corner that he puts silly hats on and colorful mobiles hanging from his ceiling. His piece de resistance is a white Furby on his desk with whom he "consults" playfully.
2. Keep 10-15 minutes free morning and afternoon so you can have a break. Keep some puzzles, crosswords, games or even coloring books in your desk to play with. (If you're embarrassed, lock your door.)
3. Remember to smile. Illness and death are going to happen every day, whether you're there or not. You do the best you can, but you're not a miracle worker. Don't spend all of your day worrying about everyone else's day. Take your own advice. If you recommend your stressed clients take a walk at lunch time, you'd better get your walking shoes on!
4. Buy a joke book. Each time you enter your office, share a joke with your staff. If your staff are happy, it will rub off on you and make visits to your office more pleasurable for your patients. Children will love your riddles.
5. Allow your staff to play the radio in the front office. Do the same for your own office, or choose CD's that inspire and relax. Maybe you can have "happy" children songs playing for your child patients and soothing music for your stressed professional patients. (Or maybe they could also do with a dose of "The wheels on the bus go round and round…"?)
6. Take a rostered day off. Share this opportunity with your partners. You CAN arrange your schedule to fit in a rostered day off during the month. Do exactly what YOU want to do on this day: fishing, golfing, reading, hiking, or maybe you just want to spend the day in bed and do nothing!
7. When you send follow up notes and reminders to your patients, stick a "happy" sticker on the bottom near your signature. Put "happy" stickers on your phone, your computer and anywhere else you will see them.
8. Send your office a "happy" gift basket once in a while. There are online stores that sell specialty "fun" corporate gifts that include silly things, like moldable Gumbies, happy faces on a stick, fun shaped chocolates. You'll also enjoy receiving the basket of fun goodies, even if you have sent them yourself.
9. Have fun with your patients. Give them a riddle and tell them if they can answer it, you'll give them a jelly bean. Keep happy stickers on your desk so you can stick one to your patient's shirts before they leave.
10. Have a "wacky" day, like a crazy hair day. Wear silly wigs or do something crazy with your own hair. Put up a notice to alert your patients beforehand so they won't get a shock when they visit. Invite them to participate if their visit coincides with your scheduled "wacky day". Take advantage of special days like "Red nose day" when you and your staff can wear red clown noses. (You can "fine" your staff and patients a dollar if they don't participate, and donate it to charity.
Think about this… if you were ill and had to visit your doctor, what would lift your spirits? A happy, "fun" environment, or a somber, gloomy environment that matches how you feel?
10 Ways to put Fun in your Practice - To learn more about this author, visit Terri Levine's Website.
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