How to Get Comfortable with Feedback with Dr. Jill Patton

Jill Patton, DO, is the Chair of Internal Medicine and the Program Director of the Categorical Internal Medicine Residency Program at Advocate Health Lutheran General Hospital in Illinois. Dr. Patton completed her medical school from Michigan State University Osteopathic medical school and residency from Lutheran General Hospital, where she was also appointed as the chief resident. Having served in multiple leadership roles over the years, she has mentored trainees at all levels. She has been awarded as one of the 2017 Parker J. Palmer Courage to Teach Award honorees by the ACGME. This award is given by the ACGME to program directors, who find innovative ways to teach residents and provide quality health care while remaining connected to the initial impulse to care for others in this environment. Does feedback ever get less uncomfortable? Dr. Jill Patton believes it does. Today, she explains that feedback only gets easier when we allow ourselves to hear it. We have to let our mentors know that it’s okay: We want to hear the tough feedback. We want to know the hard stuff. Because acknowledging the things that aren’t always easy to hear is the only way we can move forward and grow. She believes that mentorships can feel like parental relationships: With her mentees, she cares deeply for them. At the same time, she recognizes that she also needs to give them feedback, and to let them know how they can improve each day. Pearls of Wisdom: 1. Find mentors not just on the local level, but on the national level as well. Find ways to attend meetings, conferences, and to join committees to help grow your network. 2. Communicate your goals clearly to your mentors in order to get optimal advice. 3. When you self-reflect, don’t just focus on what you didn’t do well. All yourself to look at what you are proud of, what you did do well, to find encouragement and motivation.