7 Habits of Highly-Effective PICU Fellows Podcasts

Welcome to PICU Doc On Call, a podcast dedicated to current and aspiring intensivists. My name is Pradip Kamat.My name is Rahul Damania, a current 3rd year pediatric critical care fellow. We come to you from Emory University School of Medicine-Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.Today's episode is very special as we are going to be discussing 7 Habits of Highly Effective PICU fellows. As many trainees, both residents and fellows are settling into the year, We wanted to make a special podcast which highlights some key, high value habits Which can make the pediatric critical care experience very fruitful longitudinally!We are delighted to be joined by Dr. Kevin Kuo and Dr. Paige Stevens.Dr. Kuo is a Clinical Associate Professor, Pediatrics - Critical Care as well as the Program Director, Pediatric Critical Care Fellowship at Stanford University. Notably, Dr. Kuo is also the site creator and editor of the informational & well-known PICU website learnpicu.com- which accumulates over 10K views a month. Dr. Paige Stevens is a PCCM fellow at Stanford University and is here to provide the trainee perspective.Dr. Kuo and Dr Stevens - we are delighted to have you. Welcome to PICU doc on call podcast.Dr Kuo or Stevens: Thank You Pradip and Rahul for having us on PICU Doc on Call. We have no relevant financial disclosures or conflicts of interest.Our episode will be a series of actionable steps which can optimize your passion and performance in the PICU. This episode was inspired by the very famous book: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey which is an international bestseller.To start with our episode, Dr. Kuo, do you mind highlighting the 7 Habits which we will cover:KK: Sure, here they are:From Dr. Covey's book we wanted to start with Begin with the End in Mind as the first habitSecond, Embrace a Growth MindsetThird, Eat a Piece of Humble Pie DailyFourth, Remember the ABCsFifth, Put on Your Own Oxygen Mask FirstSixth, Be Aware of the MetaSeventh, Sing in the RainAwesome, I can't wait to get into each of these. Dr. Kuo can you start us off with the first habit — Begin with the End in Mind?Dr. Kuo: sure3 years goes by very quickly - what do you want your career to look like, what skills do you want to have gained, what things do you want to accomplish by the end of your three years, where do you want to work when you finish (academic vs community)?Be honest with what your interests and career goals are - i.e. not everyone needs to be an R01 funded basic scientist (although that is certainly needed and a wonderful career path).This is also great advice for people interviewing for fellowship. If you have a clear idea of who you want to be at the end of training, it will be easier to find a program that is going to help you get there. If you don’t know, you might want to choose a program where fellows go on to successfully do a broad range of things well.Excellent approach and mindset especially for residents applying for PICU and matching in a few short months.Dr. Stevens: What about the Growth Mindset?PS: Starting with the Growth Mindset is toBe active in the continual process of self-reflection and evaluating your strengths and areas for growth- use those ILP’s and conversations with your mentors.Be active in the continual process of seeking out feedback from others. You may not always be able to see the full perspective so seek it out from everyone you interact with.When you find areas for improvement after self-reflection or receive feedback from others, embrace a growth mindset and a desire to incorporate that feedback and enact change.This habit reminds me of a great book known as Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dwek, a PhD psychologist who has transformed the way we think about personal development, resilience, and optimism — definitely a trainee read.Dr. Kuo, as you grow your experience as an attending what does the third habit, Eat a Piece of the Humble Pie mean to you?Dr Kuo:In the ICU we are constantly asked to be a "Jack of all Trades" ranging from a pulmonologist, to a cardiologist, to a nephrologist, to a transplant specialist, to a proceduralist... Our division chief Tim always says, "The minute you think you know it all is the day you should retire." You can't know it all and, at the end of the day, knowing and admitting what you don't know and asking for help is one of the most important things you can do.Additionally, even the things you think you know now (ie blood transfusion for EGDT in sepsis, looking for UTI's in RSV etc) could very well change during your years in practice.Approach each day with an eagerness to learn from those around you: your patients, your colleagues, your trainees, your RNs, RTs, Child Life specialists, Chaplains, etc. Ties into Covey’s “Seek first to understand, then be understood.”Thank you for highlighting this invaluable characteristic — as ICU is a team sport humility and ego sublimation is paramount to success.Lets transition to some productivity and self-compassion techniques - our next two habits are Remember the ABCs & Put your Own Oxygen Mask on — Dr. Kuo can you go into the prioritization of Airway Breathing Circulation in a bit more detail pls?Dr Kuo: Remember the ABCsJust like in a resuscitation where you must prioritize the ABCs above all else, learning the art of prioritization is a skill that will go a long way in all aspects of your clinical skills and career.Concept of 4 quadrants (Covey): important/unimportant/urgent/nonurgent quadrants. There will always be something more that needs to be done, the real art comes in choosing your next step wiselyDr Stevens: Put on Your Own Oxygen Mask FirstIn order to best care for others, you need to care for yourself.Get in the habit of practicing self-compassion – we see and experience all sorts of challenging things in critical care- at the end of the day, we can only do our very best, continually learn, and the rest really isn’t in our hands.This includes building up all aspects of your life both inside and outside of medicine: relationships, finances, staying healthy: sleep, exercise, nutrition, mental health, spiritual healthAlso, surround yourself with people who can help put your oxygen mask on in case of emergencies like family/friends/spiritual community etcThis is great - lets do a quick re-cap thus far: End in Mind, Growth Mindset, Humble Pie, ABCs and O2 mask on first!Lets round this episode off with our last two. Dr. Kuo what does Be Aware of the MEta mean to you?Dr Kuo: Be Aware of the