Internet CME Course: MedPEP, the Medical Professionals Empowerment Program (MedPEP) – Episode 7: Stop Running on Empty

Activity ID

2947

Expires

January 24, 2025

Format Type

Internet

CME Credit

1.0

Fee

$0

CME Provider: Massachusetts Medical Society

Description of CME Course

MedPEP, the Medical Professionals Empowerment Program, is a Free podcast series jointly provided by Physician Health Services, Inc. (PHS) and the Massachusetts Medical Society.  PHS is a charitable organization dedicated to improving the health, well-being and effectiveness of physicians and medical students.

Regulations, technology, organizational complexity, and the explosion of medical knowledge have created a perfect storm for most practicing health professionals. Physician burnout rates now exceed 50%. MedPEP’s star, Dr. Marie Curious, is a young, primary care internist who has started to fantasize about leaving the profession that she loves. On her MedPEP journey, Marie joins Dr. Les Schwab and a group of specialized physicians, coaches, and other experts, who offer a broad range of practical techniques to help her survive and thrive in today’s tough medical environment. The territory they cover includes nutrition, exercise, getting along with difficult colleagues, dealing with bureaucracy and bosses, multi-tasking, system improvement, meditation, and addiction. The MedPEP journey helps Marie, and other health professionals facing similar challenges, gain insight into practical methods for empowering themselves as well as their teams, employers, and the broken system.

In this episode Marie meets Beth Frates, MD. Trained as a physiatrist, Beth coaches people to adopt healthy lifestyles, with an emphasis on diet, sleep, stress resiliency and exercise. In this MedPEP episode, Beth focuses on nutrition and healthy eating patterns as critical factors to energize Marie over the course of rigorous days in the clinic. She describes the evidence-based Harvard Healthy Plate – half is comprised of vegetables and fruits, one quarter is whole grains, and the last quarter includes healthy proteins. Beth sings the praises of the health-promoting vitamins, minerals and antioxidants contained in vegetables, as well as the energy-sustaining fiber found in whole grains such as brown rice and quinoa. She underscores the importance of consuming healthy sources of protein such as beans, seeds, nuts, fish and unprocessed, lean meat, all of which sustain energy more effectively than simple carbo-hydrates. Beth engages with Marie in a collaborative and empowering way, enhancing her motivation to make health-promoting changes in her diet, despite her harried work schedule. Beth also introduces the idea of mindful and restful eating, and by the end of the podcast, Marie finds herself close to taking on the challenge of setting aside 15-20 minutes of clinic time to take a restorative lunch break. Marie continues to struggle with putting her own basic needs ahead of the daily demands of her medical practice.

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