61 - Self-Acceptance and Changing the Culture of Medicine

Want to dive deeper into topics like this? Master your journey with Physician Empowerment’s Masterclass Membership—your gateway to exclusive content, expert-led sessions, and actionable strategies to elevate your personal and financial well-being. Learn more and join us today! https://www.physempowerment.ca/masterclass—In this episode, Dr. Kevin Mailo welcomes Dr. Susannah Ward to the show to talk about self-acceptance and her work in changing the culture of medicine. Dr. Ward is a fellow with the College of Physicians, a specialist in rehabilitation medicine, and the Founder of Ataraxia Collective which promotes the well-being of doctors. Susannah and Kevin discuss the pressures and demands of medicine and how awareness around taking care of ourselves first should become a priority. Dr. Susannah shares some of her stories and reflects on the stress, lack of autonomy, sexism, and constant pressures of her journey through training and work. She points out that doctors face the reality of burnout around the world and it helps to understand they’re not alone. Susannah and Kevin talk about what can be done when someone identifies their burnout: everything from seeing their own GP to avoiding numbing coping mechanisms like alcohol and taking care of personal nutrition and sleep. Susannah and her work shine a spotlight on the importance of identifying our need for self-care, allowing ourselves to be human and prioritizing our own well-being.About Dr. Susannah Ward:Dr Susannah Ward qualified as a rehabilitation physician in 2018 with the Basmajian Award for best fellowship clinical exam performance. She has over 15 years of experience working in public and private hospitals across Australia. She has diverse clinical experience including general medical and surgical care, palliative care, geriatrics and rehabilitation. She has rehabilitation experience working in brain injury, spinal cord injury, chronic pain, geriatrics, palliative care, orthopaedic rehabilitation, stroke, amputation and general rehabilitation. She has private clinics at The Wellness Place Blacksmiths. She also offers telehealth appointments and home visits. She has a special interest in acquired brain injury. She has an expert understanding of the behavioural, psychological and social challenges faced by people & the impact of environment, upbringing & social determinants of health.Dr Ward is passionate about holistic health and lifestyle, behavioural and psychological rehabilitation. She likes to incorporate evidence-based wellness tools like mindfulness, healthy eating, exercise and social/lifestyle prescription into her goal-directed and patient-centred care. She promotes the key message that living with illness or injury need not be a barrier to feeling well or living life to the full. Dr Ward’s therapeutic emphasis is to support a client to self-compassionately accept themselves and acquire self-mastery skills to maximise their functional ability and quality of life. She aims to help empower clients to independently self-care and optimally manage their circumstance using wellness tools and adopting a healthy lifestyle.Dr Ward has always been an advocate of health professional wellbeing & promoting a more supportive & nurturing medical culture that facilitates wellbeing & sustainable careers. She founded Ataraxia Collective in 2018 as a creative adjunct to her clinical practice hosting retreats & workshops show casing powerful holistic tools like mindfulness & yoga. She currently runs doctor wellbeing & CPD retreats. She is the Chair of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians Member Health & Wellbeing Committee & director for the not for profit charity Mood Active. She enjoys professional writing on topics related to doctor wellbeing & is publishing her first self-care book Mastering Real Wellness this year.Website: AtaraxiaCollective.com.auBook: “Mastering Real Wellness” by Dr. Susannah Ward__Physician Empowerment: Attend an upcoming Empowerment RetreatJoin the Physician Empowerment Masterclass nowWebsite: PhysEmpowerment.ca Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.