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WOMEN IN
MEDICINE

a sick relative. I worry about their overall well-
ness, including how their families are coping
at home.
As we all know, medicine is an everchanging
field where in just one blink, a recent devel-
opment can be old news. Information flies as
quickly as light and your patient may be the
one updating you about a new finding in med-
ical sciences; keeping up with all the data adds
to my already demanding calendar.
As you can see, I’m a worrier and it is hard
to stay focused when you have so many wor-
ries floating around your thoughts. How do I
stay focused and avoid burning out? How do
I break the cycle that can lead to burn out?
I have not mastered the ‘science’ of not
worrying (and I don’t think I want to com-
pletely master it), but I can share a few tips
that I have learned that help me keep a bal-
anced life:

• I start my day with a positive attitude and
try to enjoy every single moment with my
patients. At the end, they are the reason
why I chose medicine.
• I have learned to set limits and when to say no to not over bur- I am not a therapist or intend to be one, these are just a few things
den myself and safeguard family time. that work for me and may not work for everyone. Nevertheless, I
• I make it a point to take time for myself; I call it my selfish time. just wanted to share how I break the cycle every day with the hope
It is a rule that I cannot break, and this time I spend exercising that it will help others find their own way of dealing with routine
which is something that I love. and stress.
• Just like I limit my son’s screen time, I limit the time that I allow
myself to work at home. I find that if I don’t set that limit, then Resources:
I’ll just keep working or worrying non-stop. 1.) 2018 survey of Americus physicians: Practice patterns and
• I try to plan family activities for almost every weekend that I’m perspectives. And examination of the professional morel, practice
not on call. patterns, career plans, and perspectives of today's physicians, aggre-
• One of my greatest joys are family vacations. I start planning gated by H, gender, primary care/specialist and practice
them months ahead because I enjoy the process so much. owners/employees.
• Connecting to the world outside of the office and hospital is
of extreme importance to me. It keeps me leveled and keeps WWW.physiciansfoundation.org
my focus away from work. I have friends outside of the medi-
cine environment to always be able to see the world through Dr. Emmalind Aponte practices Hematology and Medical Oncology in San
other perspectives, and never forget how wonderful life is. Antonio.

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