Finding Fulfillment—Physician Style

By Stephen J. Busalacchi
Candidate Member 

If one thing stood out after having spent 56 hours interviewing dozens of accomplished physicians, it was the fact that these doctors love what they do. As I worked on the White Coat Wisdom manuscript, I started to become a bit envious. What gives them such great job satisfaction? First of all, many of them don’t tend to consider what they do work, per se. More than one doc described medicine as more of a calling than an occupation.
 

But this level of satisfaction isn’t limited to medicine. I’m convinced each of us can learn something from those who take great joy in how they spend their professional or occupational time. These physicians exemplify that fulfillment comes after commitment to something bigger than yourself, sacrifice and knowing you’ve done something important for others. 

Take Doctor Sandra Osborn. She is a 2006 graduate of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. Late bloomer? Quite the opposite. She’s more like a re-bloomer. She first graduated from UW med school in 1973. Yes, she’s a double-dipper. Doctor Osborn retired after three decades as a pediatrician and then immediately re-enrolled in medical school to mentor the next generation of doctors. Yes, she took those classes all over again, year after year. Sandy Osborn did it because she wanted to do it. 

Osborn, like most of her colleagues, is a lifelong learner. “Med School 2” was just an extension of that penchant for learning and contributing. Doctor Osborn also volunteers for what has to be one of the most demanding and important positions around: service on Wisconsin’s Medical Examining Board. People who don’t have time to formally retire tend to be long-lived. Remember that. 

Part of commitment is to care about those you interact with. The lesson from doctors is to get to know those you’re helping. It’s not just about making a contribution or volunteering at an event. Real satisfaction results when we get to know those we’re assisting. Doctor Mark Timmerman, a family medicine physician, told me the most rewarding part of medicine for him, was the broad exposure he had to the population. It makes him a deeper human being to get to know so many different kinds of patients. 

Doctor Adam Dachman is another physician who finds great satisfaction in establishing rapport with patients. That may be unusual for a surgeon because their interactions with patients are often episodic. But as a musician and composer, Dachman finds inspiration in the individual stories that play out in his office. He writes songs about patients who inspire him and then gives them CDs.
 

But medicine can be depressing at times, too. Early in his family medicine career, Dr. Alan Schwartzstein internalized the fact that doctors can’t save everybody. In fact, they have to try hard not to view that reality as a personal failure, though many still do.
 

Perhaps fulfillment comes when we’re able to both appreciate the good and accept the realities of life, even when they’re particularly unpleasant or even painful. So if we want a fulfilled life: 

• Find your passion
 

• Volunteer 


• Get to know the people you’re helping and empathize with their plight 


• Appreciate the good aspects of your work 


• Share a bit of yourself and your interests in the process 


• Recognize that we’re not all in control of what happens in life 

I couldn’t help but be affected by these physician stories. They inspired me to keep working on White Coat Wisdom. You don’t rise at 5 a.m. every day for three years while working full-time unless you’re really into something. For me, writing this book was without question, the most rewarding professional venture of my life. And it’s affected me in other ways, too. Shortly after completing the manuscript, I quit a stable job and started my own business. These physician stories inspired me to push myself. In two and half years on my own, I’ve had the opportunity to edit a dying UW-Oshkosh professor’s book manuscript, deliver the keynote address for young physicians from the California Medical Association, and co-present a day-long media training workshop for physician leaders at the University of Wisconsin Medical Foundation, among many other activities.
 

But it took me a long time to begin the process of writing White Coat Wisdom, which led to this new chapter in my life. For 15 years, I only talked about writing this oral history. And then somebody showed enthusiastic interest in the idea. He was the first to really endorse the concept and instructed me to go for it. 

“I’d read that! You have to do it.” 

So I did it. I needed a nudge and Ed Fink gave me a kick. Helping others succeed is rewarding, too. 

Stephen J. Busalacchi is author of White Coat Wisdom: Extraordinary doctors talk about what they do, how they got there and why medicine is so much more than a job. To download an mp3 of the 30-minute Downtown Madison Rotary speech, see http://tinyurl.com/me8l93

Comments

[Maven Riley]

This just goes to show you that if you find your passion for public speaking, it doesn't matter what industry you hail from, you're going to be able to do your job and do it well. It's like a salesman - a great salesperson sell ANYTHING from widgets to luxury ships.

Keep up the good work.
Maven

http://www.caaspeakers.com