The Difficulty, and Power, of Slowing Down

Primary care physicians often feel pressure to rush through the seemingly endless patient care and administrative work we are faced with daily. In residency, I learned how to be efficient, how to juggle multiple things at once, and how to think quickly: all valuable skills. I received positive reinforcement for taking on more responsibilities and roles. By the end of residency, I had forgotten how to slow myself down. When I started my first job, my developing relationship with a new patient showed me just how crucial slowing down can be. In this essay, I reflect on my post-residency efforts to be more deliberate, patient, and mindful. I think about why, in our current medical landscape, it can feel so hard to slow down.