Approaching Medicine with Zest and Vigor with Dr. Debra Leizman

Debra Leizman, MD, FACP, is the Director of Medical Student Education at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, and an Associate Professor of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. Her focus areas are medical student education and clinical practice. She is also the Director of the Internal Medicine Core Clerkship for University Hospitals, and serves as Clinical Director of the CWRU Medical Science Training Program (MSTP), organizing and directing MD-PhD clinical training. Dr. Leizman is a University Hospitals Distinguished Physician and has served as Faculty Advisor for the CWRU Internal Medicine Medical Student Interest Group for more than 20 years. Her research interests include medical student and resident education, patient safety, and quality issues.  Do you take on each new day with “zest”? If your answer is “I...think…so?”, keep listening. Today, Dr. Debra Leizman offers her best practices for bringing zest, vigor, and positivity into our roles as physicians. We learn how success and fulfillment work in tandem: When we do right by the patient, fulfillment is the byproduct. And when we make our top priority providing outstanding care to our patients, the hard stuff has a way of working itself out. And finally, we learn that what matters at the end of the day is not how many papers we’ve written, it’s about being surrounded by those we love. So during your next shift, take the time to talk to your peers. Spend a few extra minutes learning your patient's story. See others as human beings, and learn from them. Pearls of Wisdom: 1. Find ways to bring zest, vigor, and positivity into your role as a physician. 2. Success and fulfillment go hand in hand. When we do what is right for the patient, fulfillment follows. 3. For mentees: take advantage of the open door policy. For mentors: see the mentee as a human being before you see them as a student.