Physician Mental Wellness! – Life improvement strategies for the surgeon who wants more … in 10 minutes – Episode 119

Pump the brakes on your week and take 10 minutes to make your life as a surgeon just a little better…

Jeff welcomes to the podcast Chief Medical Officer of the Lorna Breen Foundation, Emergency Medicine Physician, and physician coach, Stefanie Simmons.

On this episode, Jeff and Stefanie discuss the need for better support for physician mental health in the healthcare system. In training, residents and fellows are often in vulnerable situations, as they do everything they can to succeed while dealing with stress and other factors like medical school debt. Faced with these challenges and more, many residents simply put their heads down and grind it out, rather than getting the help they need to succeed. 

Then in practice, many physicians are hesitant to seek mental health services for themselves because they’re afraid it may impact their ability to get licensed, credentialed, or employed. Almost everywhere, simply having therapy is not going to require disclosure if there isn’t an impairing diagnosis. We need to make it easier and less taboo for physicians in all stages of their careers to seek mental health when necessary.  

What steps does Stefanie suggest we take to address mental health concerns?

• Step 1 - Seek Counseling when you need it. Don’t assume that it’s not safe to receive mental healthcare if you need it. Check with your specific hospital or system to see what their practices are and don’t sacrifice your mental health.
• Step 2 - Consider Coaching. Speaking with a like-minded colleague in a coaching capacity is another excellent option for dealing with stressors.

Most importantly, PRACTICE seeking mental health resources to experience well-being!


Guest Bio: Stefanie Simmons, MD, FACEP

Stefanie is the Chief Medical Officer at the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation and a board-certified emergency medicine physician. She was the primary advisor to NIOSH for the Impact WellbeingTM guide for healthcare leaders, leads multi-state programs to improve the operational environment of care and remove barriers to mental health care, and serves as a national thought leader in healthcare worker well-being. Stefanie served as the Vice President of Patient and Clinician Experience for Envision over 7 years, serving 26,000 physicians and advanced practice providers with a focus on professional well-being, including translational research and programs designed to bring well-being best practices to clinical environments. She served as lead clinical faculty for the Clinician Experience Project Wellbeing program.

Stefanie earned her Bachelor of Science and Medical Doctor degrees from University of Michigan and completed residency training at the University of Michigan/St. Joseph Mercy emergency medicine residency. She has completed additional training in medical education, research methods, coaching, and positive organizational psychology.

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