Wholeheartedness in Medicine: Bringing Your “A” Game to Your Work Every Day, with Dr. Sherine Salib

Sherine Salib, MD, MRCP, FACP, is an Associate Professor of Internal Medicine at Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin. She is the, Director of Undergraduate Medical Education in the Department of Internal Medicine. Dr. Salib attended medical school at The University of Bristol in England and went on to become a member of the Royal College of Physicians of London. Dr. Salib completed her residency in internal medicine from the University of Texas Houston Health Sciences Center. She has had several publications in journals including Academic Medicine and British Medical Journal. She takes special interest in writing about innovative educational endeavors and the medical humanities, as well as developing workshops and curricula for residents and students. Dr. Salib has received many awards and honors for her contributions as a clinician and an educator. According to Dr. Sherine Salib, there are only three things you need to be an excellent physician: Great attitude, best effort, and curiosity. Today, Dr. Salib breaks down what each of those traits mean to her, and how we can bring these qualities to our work each day. She talks about reframing ‘work life balance’ into ‘work life integration’, and how finding our joy in work will positively influence our personal life, and vice versa. And lastly, she talks about leadership. Everybody is a leader. And the best leaders, according to Dr. Salib, are the ones who know how to combine leadership approaches that will best suit each situation. The best leaders are ones who know how to serve others, and to take care of those in their charge. Pearls of Wisdom: 1. Reframe ‘work life balance’ as ‘work life integration.” Find the type of work that gives you joy and purpose in life, and that you want to wake up for each day. 2. Look for mentorship outside just your field in medicine. Seek guidance from people who have a different perspective and look for innovative ideas to act as a bridge for positive exchange across fields. 3. Attitude, best effort, and curiosity are the three most important traits of a successful trainee. 4. Everybody is a leader. Whether you have that official title or not, you are a leader in what you do. In order to excel as leaders, we need to combine various approaches, and know how to serve others; and take care of those in our charge.