‘Nana korobi, ya oki’ a Japanese proverb, meaning ‘fall down 7 times, stand up 8’.
Health care providers stand in between life and death of a patient, which is clearly known to every Medico. As doctors, we spend our entire youth burning the midnight oil. Right from the anatomical basis of a simple smile to complex neuro-physiological functioning of the brain, we’ve read it all. Not once, but twice, thrice. Ward rounds, innumerable exams, pulling out an all nighter operating then reporting back to work the next morning to take care of patients, dressings, research articles, keeping patients before our own families, we’ve been through it all. Only to see a smile on our patients faces when we have freed them of all the pain and disease(s).
But what about the dark side that no one wants to talk about? The professional failure. When, despite of giving it your all, the results are not as expected and your treatment plan fails. You have to gather all your strength and counsel the patient or attendants about the need to amputate a limb, to break the bad news of not being able to fix the amputated finger, of permanent hearing loss, vision loss, and the worst of all ‘death’.
Here are few points that will help you in dealing with professional failures or mistakes.
- Own up, grow up: it takes courage to deal with a complicated case but it taken even more courage to accept one’s mistake(s) (if any) and grow personally and professionally.
- Sit back, introspect and retrospect: when your mind is calm, you’ll be able to direct your energies positively into finding a solution to problem.
- Accept the inevitable: sometimes despite of giving our best, the outcome of a procedure or treatment can’t be directed according to us due to many reasons which is absolutely fine.
- Seek help: never shy away from consulting seniors, colleagues or even juniors. Often there is a mind block and taking help will make the situation easy.
- Meditate, exercise: meditation helps us to establish a strong control over our mind, generates inner peace and exercise releases dopamine which is essential for our happiness.
- Take time: process your emotions, absorb the reality. Do your research. Next time hit back and hit harder.
- Recondition your mind: see failure as a stepping stone to success. Every time you fail the chances of you having success next time increases.
Professional satisfaction comes though good judgement, good judgement comes through experience, experience comes though failure.
