From the 10/23/2020 newsletter
Take 3: Comments from a Leader
and Vascular Surgeon
Julie A. Freischlag, MD, FACS,
FRCSEd(Hon), DFSVS is a former MCW faculty member. Over the course of her
career, she has broken new ground by serving as Chief of the Zablocki VAMC
Surgical Service, Chief of Vascular Surgery at UCLA, Chair of Surgery at Johns
Hopkins, Vice Chancellor for Human Health Sciences and Dean of the School of
Medicine at UC Davis, and CEO of Wake Forest Baptist Health and Dean of Wake
Forest School of Medicine in Wake Forest, NC.
She was interviewed by her medical school classmate and Editor-in-Chief of the Transformational Times, Bruce Campbell.
Question 1: You have a reputation as an engaged and
positive mentor for both men and women in medicine. How do you approach your
role as a mentor for women who are contemplating demanding specialty careers?
I always tell students and
residents to “Go to your passion.” As they rotate through services and
specialties, I tell them to look to see if they are passionate about the
disorders and diseases that the specialty treats. Mentors are great, but the
student must look beyond whomever is their inspiration and see if the career
holds the things that most love. Some specialties are particularly demanding of
time and attention. The student should not be afraid of the demanding
specialties, particularly if it is their ideal fit. If they do, they will spend
years wondering if they made the right choice.
Next, I tell them to “Be the
best you can be, whatever it is.” I want them to understand that they will
spend the early part of their careers doing whatever they can do to be great. I
tell them, “Energy gets you competent. Then you get competent.”
That said, I believe that
COVID-19 might change how even the most demanding specialties are practiced. We
are getting more accustomed to doing some of our work from home, to virtual
visits, and to shared responsibilities. We might see less need for exhaustive
daily rounds and face-to-face time. This type of change might be particularly
valuable for dual-MD couples and people with shared childcare duties.
In fact, I tell my surgical
colleagues who over-engage to take it easy. If someone is sending emails at
3:00 in the morning, what does that tell trainees about our specialty? Does
that sort of behavior tell trainees that we don’t trust them? Who would want to
go into a field where that kind of intensity is normal?
Question 2: What are the
opportunities for creating learning environments for students and residents
that will propel learners successfully into their careers? How can we help
students and trainees see the value of self-care over the long haul?
Back when I was in training, that seemed the furthest from anyone’s thoughts.
Basically, it seemed liked we were engaged in the survival of the fittest and
it was assumed that those of us who survived would do okay. That, clearly, was
not the case.
We were all concentrating on
self-care when COVID-19 hit. The virus has made us all rethink how we will
model and practice self-care. We will all have to reacclimate to being in the same
space again; our pre-clinical students were anxious about working with
standardized patients and sitting together in classes.
I tell students that they need
to “learn” their own space. I ask them, “What do you do that helps your relax,
but is also easy?” For many, this includes, exercise, family time, hobbies you can
continue over a lifetime, music, or writing.
Despite my schedule, I try to
model self-care. I concentrate on what is important. I talk with them about how
they find their “peaceful times.” We have an Office of Wellbeing that offers a weekly wellness newsletter,
strategies, and activities. We organized virtual yoga and meditation sessions.
Another surgeon recently talked
about how she wakes up each morning to spend a few minutes being thankful and
happy about a few things. She lets go of things she can’t control. I tell
trainees that it is futile to spend time beating down a door that is closed.
Don’t even go in through the window. Find another door.
Finally, I cannot believe how
quickly time has flown, but I have tried to pay attention to how I feel and to
take care of myself. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. I try to help trainees see
that we all are better when we work together.
Question 3: You have worked as a faculty member, department chair, dean,
provost, and medical system CEO while maintaining your surgical career and
raising a family. What do you tell others who are considering leadership
trajectories about handling multiple roles?
Handling the challenges of
work-life balance differs depending on your phase of life whether you are in a
leadership role or not. I remember back at MCW, I was deep into a complex
vascular case when my son’s childcare center called and said he was sick. I
reached out to one of my partners who graciously came and finished the case. I
told the family what had happened. When I stopped by to see the patient the
next day, his first question was, “Is your son okay?” You see, people will
understand if you tell them what is happening.
As he grew, I build my schedule
around his whenever possible. I was a timer for his middle school basketball
team. I went to his games. I took time out for family. As one of my MCW mentors
told me, “Taking the kids to the swim party isn’t as good as staying to watch
them.” I never forgot that.
I’m not saying it is easy. I
actively managed my schedule. I took time to be organized.
I learned to say, “no.” It has
been very rewarding and great fun.
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