Prioritizing physician well-being: A conversation with Sarah Ashitey, MD
By the TAFP Physician Well-Being Task Force
As we continue to highlight the importance of well-being in family medicine, we’re excited to feature a member of the TAFP Physician Well-Being Task Force who will present on this important topic at November’s Annual Session and Primary Care Summit.
Sarah Ashitey, MD, practices at Southwest Family Medicine Associates in Dallas and is a member of TAFP’s Board of Directors. If you’re planning to attend ASPCS, don’t miss her talk on Sunday, “The prescription we never wrote ourselves.”
In this Q&A with Ashitey, learn more about her background, her passion for supporting well-being, and the insights she’ll share to help family physicians prioritize personal and professional wellness. We look forward to highlighting her contributions and bringing greater awareness to the importance of well-being in our profession!
What does physician well-being mean to you, and how has your perspective changed throughout your career?
Well-being to me is a place of peace, comfort, and happiness across multiple areas of my life including my health (mental and physical), family, finances, and career. I used to think being financially secure led to a state of well-being; however, I soon found out after residency that that was not enough.
What is a misconception about physician burnout or well-being that you wish more people understood?
Burnout is not something that happens to the weak. At least 40 percent of physicians have reported a symptom of burnout with rates above 60 percent during the pandemic. Knowing this common experience we share, I believe, can be a source of connection rather than isolation, and the beginning of the permission we need to seek help.
What is one thing that has helped you maintain your well-being in your day-to-day life?
Boundaries and getting honest about the cost of not keeping them with myself. Early on I thought boundaries were about saying no to other people but over time I’ve learned they're really about saying yes to what I've already committed to: my family, my health, and my patients when I'm in the room with them as my best self.
When I let a boundary slide by staying late one more time, taking the call on my day off, or opening the inbox at 10 p.m., I always pay for it later somewhere in my life. It shows up as a skipped morning workout, fatigue, or not having enough time with my family which matters so much to me.
So now when I'm tempted to bend, I consider the cost and who pays. It’s no longer about being selfish but how I’m taking care of my future self and those in my life.
What gives you hope for the future of physician well-being?
There are two things that give me hope for our future. First, learning about the tools that have been proven to work. We have colleagues among us who have been successful at doing that. I will talk more about that in my upcoming lecture at ASPCS.
Second, the work of the TAFP Physician Well-Being Task Force. I am excited about the upcoming collaboration and opportunity to learn from each other: what is working well in our different work environments and personal lives and how can we support each other.
What is the one key message you hope members take away from your presentation during this year's TAFP Annual Session and Primary Care Summit?
You are not alone. Be kind to yourself. Counterintuitive as it sounds, the evidence is clear: self-compassion lowers burnout.
Ashitey's lecture at ASPCS is the first presentation to come out of the Dharma Wellness Initiative. We hope to see you there!
Sarah Ashitey, MD, is a family physician at Southwest Medicine Associates in Dallas and serves on TAFP's Council on Health of the Public, as well as the new TAFP Physician Well-Being Task Force. She is also a board member of The Immunization Partnership and previously served on the City of Dallas Environmental Health Committee.