Episode 21: Shame resilience and what patients really want after complications

This week's episode is the edited webinar "It's Complicated" where I talk about some strategies for dealing with complications. I have created a full 3 month program focusing on this (registration now closed), because so much is involved in our reaction to complications. This episode focuses on the most important aspect of complications: shame resilience. If you can keep yourself from feeling shame, then you are more likely to recover from a complication. You will be available to receive help from others. 

Speaking of help from others, Dr. Laura Brown offered a tip that can help deal with the trauma of complications. After you have a complication, go to the store and buy the tallest candle. Light it every night to honor the patient you lost. When the candle is out, make that be the end of your second guessing yourself and your care. This is a way to honor the patient and yourself. She stated, "I find it focused my ‘tape’ in my head and limited it to candle time. During one bad week of residency, I had a record of seven candles. It’s never been that bad since. It kept me from burning out."