If you don’t practice self care, don’t practice healthcare is my take away from the 2019 American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) conference.
“I remember when I was in recovery,” our key note speaker said, describing her personal rehabilitation process. “Even before he or she came inside, I could feel the energy of a depressed hospital staff member outside my door. I would pull the covers over my head because I didn’t want to work with that person.”
Our key note speaker:
Dr. Grace Dammann is a Bay Area physician who had devoted her practice to end of life care for patients with aids. One day on her way home from work a car crossed over three lanes of traffic on the Golden Gait Bridge and hit her head on.
Initially she wasn’t expected to live through the night
However, after 9 surgeries and 48 days in a coma she awoke. Now, almost 15 years later Dr. Grace is a practicing physician again. Not only that, she’s sharing her miraculous rehabilitation journey in a documentary called States of Grace (which has won multiple awards and has a 9.1 on IMDB).
She’s especially passionate about the importance self care and mental well being for the healthcare provider.
“Today, I tell my staff, don’t come to work if you’re depressed”
She said to us, matter-of-factly. “I say, if you have the flu, thats fine, do come to work if you have the flu. You can wear a mask and gown if you have the flu. But if your depressed, you can’t keep that from affecting your patients.”
Maybe it was Dr. Grace’s former role as MD overseeing an end-of-life care program for patients with AIDS that reveled this perspective to her. Or perhaps it was her own brush with death. Either way, her bold and counter culture message resonated with me as true.
Forget the flu, in America’s healthcare system today, its hard to go work without a flu shot!
Yet here was a physician in front of over 10,000 health professionals urging us to prioritize mental health over physical health. Telling us to take care of ourselves, not only for us, but for our patients. Especially for our patients!
Its worth mentioning here a little bit about self care:
Self care is often thought of as small actions: working out, journaling, eating healthy, or taking time off. I recently took a girls weekend trip to San Fran and totally count it as self care! (Especially all the boba tea). And it is all those small things.
But its bigger too. Self care is the very well being of your mind, body and soul. Which means it could be life altering actions: ending a relationship, making a career change or maybe moving. I can’t answer what you need for self care, but I do believe with time and intentional introspection, you can.
Ultimately, I am grateful to have attended the AOTA 2019 conference
And I’m even more grateful to be part of a profession that recognizes the importance of mental health and self care, starting with the practitioner. After all, how can we give our patients something we ourselves don’t have?
Unfortunately, the American Healthcare culture has an ocean of changes to make to get to where we can all embrace this way of thinking
Infact, when I shared Dr. Grace’s concept of not coming to work if you’re depressed my co-worker’s immediate response was, “ha, no one would ever come to work!” Initially I laughed. His brutal honesty catching me off guard. But as I reflect on it, I want to cry.
Lets change this
Occupational therapy has always had a holistic perspective and because of that, leading the way is not new for us. I am confident other healthcare professions will follow suit.
Starting with ourselves, let’s value self care and mental health. My hope is that one day no patient feels the urge to hide under the covers before a healthcare worker enters the room.