Leading in a pandemic while being a new-in-practice family physician

Ali N. Damji

doi:10.46747/cfp.6802157

“Twenty-nine? Twenty-nine years old?”

A stunned silence falls over the table after I disclose my age to my colleague. We have been working together for 2 years during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic but have never actually met in person until this day.

“You’re leading so much at such a young age!”

Many physicians who, like me, are both new in practice and hold leadership positions encounter this reaction. But, really, our participation shouldn’t be a surprise. Although taking on leadership roles is a challenge, I would argue that we family physicians in our first 5 years of practice are well suited for it.

Over the past 2 years, I have taken on leadership roles at the local, provincial, and national levels, many of which were related to the pandemic. These roles have made me a better doctor, and I am confident that my experiences as a family physician have also made me a better leader. As I reflect, I believe the following are examples of the value that we bring as leaders while we are in our first 5 years of practice.

We bring a fresh perspective

It might seem like a cliché, but when we are fresh out of residency, so is our perspective. During our training we see the system through so many different lenses: acute care, palliative care, community care, home care, and, of course, primary care. We have also been educated on the most cutting-edge practices and have received mentorship and grown during our medical training. We can bring novel ideas to life—I have seen that promise realized many times during the pandemic, with initiatives such as virtual care and vaccine hesitancy programs being led by new-in-practice physicians.

Our impostor syndrome can be a good thing

As new-in-practice doctors, we can find it hard to be comfortable in our new skin as family physicians. Once you add a leadership position, achieving confidence might seem even more difficult. But this humility can be a strength. Countless times during the pandemic, when leading my family health team, community physicians, or my COVID-19 assessment centre team, I was faced with questions for which I did not readily have answers. My teams consisted of physicians and clinicians who had much more experience than me. This was a situation that was ripe for impostor syndrome. But I used that feeling of humility to my advantage. I acknowledged the uncertainty of the pandemic, and I acknowledged the gaps in experience. I conveyed these points to my colleagues but committed to getting through the experience together, and to continually learning from them and finding the answers we needed. I valued their expertise and they valued my authentic leadership. Eventually, I developed expertise in COVID-19 and that feeling of being an impostor went away. So, my advice is to dive in, and don’t hesitate to acknowledge your inexperience. You’ll be a better leader for it.

Our multiple roles can create new linkages

Family physicians in their early years of practice often have multiple roles and work in multiple settings. They might have a family practice alongside working at a hospital, or be engaged in teaching, research, or a focused practice. (In my own case, besides my comprehensive family practice, I practise addiction medicine and work in education and research.) This natural tendency to work in different sectors creates ripe opportunities for leaders to thoughtfully create linkages where none exist. For example, during the pandemic, my leadership roles related to the hospital’s COVID-19 pandemic response and my primary care lens lent themselves well to ensuring community physicians around me could be supported in managing symptomatic patients and delivering COVID-19 vaccines in their offices.

We can balance our time from the beginning

I cannot stress this point enough: it is far more difficult to scale back a practice than it is to build it up. As a new graduate, you might have more time than others to commit to leadership. As a new-in-practice physician, you can better control your clinical commitments to protect time for your leadership activities. If you believe you are not busy enough clinically, you can always scale up. And do not forget to carve out some time for self-care!

We are always learning!

As a new-in-practice physician getting to know a practice, I frequently feel I need to stay on my toes and learn more to provide the best possible care to my patients. This attitude extends to my leadership journey, too.

We know the value of mentorship

As a new physician-leader, you know the value of mentorship and can find experienced leaders eager to mentor the next generation. It is important when seeking mentors to think of them as your personal “board of directors.” Some of my mentors reflect excellent work-life balance; others are mentors for specific areas of the health care system; still others are clinical and education mentors. It’s good practice to have multiple mentors to turn to. Also, as someone in your early career, you might be a more approachable leader for doctors in the generation behind you; you can share what you have learned with them, too. Seeing my junior mentees grow has been one of the greatest privileges I have had.

Conclusion

Ultimately, the simplest, best advice I can give is to “start starting.” We are often our own worst critics and will tell ourselves that “I should establish myself before I lead” or wonder “What can I offer?” But my experience has taught me to push those thoughts aside and dive in—and remember, as family doctors, we are the experts in navigating uncertainty and finding solutions for complex problems.

The reality is, as an early-career physician you have a lot to offer, and our system needs you and your unique skills. Are you up for the challenge?

Notes

First Five Years is a quarterly series in Canadian Family Physician, coordinated by the First Five Years in Family Practice Committee of the College of Family Physicians of Canada. The goal is to explore topics relevant particularly to new-in-practice physicians, as well as to all Canadian Family Physician readers. Contributions up to 1500 words are invited from those in their first 5 years in practice (https://www.cfp.ca/content/Guidelines) and can be submitted to Dr Stephen Hawrylyshyn, Past Chair of the First Five Years in Family Practice Committee, at steve.hawrylyshyn{at}medportal.ca.

Footnotes

Competing interests
None declared
La traduction en français de cet article se trouve à https://www.cfp.ca dans la table des matières du numéro de février 2022 à la page e59.