#COVID19 has disproportionately affected careers of women in healthcare and science.

As I reflect on my own experience at work as a woman, a physician, and a leader, here are some things that make a big difference, to me and to the teams I lead:

[#GiveHerAReasonToStay 🧵] ➡️ Flexibility on when, where, and how we work
➡️ Professional development activities protected as part of the job – not “on your own time” extras
➡️ Supportive culture that is committed to employee wellbeing, and employees being themselves

#NewYear2021 reflections - a 🧵

Had an unintentionally profound moment with an executive coach recently.

She said “maybe you should just stop thinking about what's next and enjoy that you’ve arrived."

What? I almost 😢. ♥️ stopped. But wait - there's important context... I was telling her my life story, the professional twists and turns.

The part where my husband got cancer.

The part when I left academic clinical medicine- my love, and my identity.

Would I still "be" a doctor?

Would my accomplishments and work matter? Or be nothing...

We all know lots of people on Twitter we have yet to meet IRL.

What about someone you DO know from real life that probably doesn’t recognize/remember you on Twitter?

Got any of those? Go ahead and tag them... For example, I met awesome people like @arghavan_salles @EMARIANOMD @TomVargheseJr @Ron_George @ChrisCarrollMD @susieQP8 on Twitter first, then IRL.

I want to meet @DrJenGunter @choo_ek @JulieSilverMD @meganranney @ddale8 @Bob_Wachter someday.

But...

Social media is where people often put a selective best on display. But #medtwitter - this is what I'm hearing behind the scenes.

I'm posting this thread so you know you're not alone, and you deserve better than this:

[1/🧵] I'm reading comments on a registration form re: an upcoming session about nonclinical physician careers.

I asked why they were interested in attending.

They said:

[2/]

Early on Day 3 of #ANES20 - you may need to zoom in! Our virtual community has grown! Who do you see? Do you see yourself?

(a visual conference 🧵/) A metrics update - fewer users than prior years, to be sure, but very respectable engagement and activity. Over 13 million impressions :) This speaks to the collective followers of the users who are #tweetingthemeeting
#ANES20

Walking before our daily late afternoon thunderstorm 🌩 and so glad I did!

Someone in my neighborhood has been busy spreading #GoodVibes today 💕

🦠Thoughts about a #COVID19 vaccine - it's not as simple as you may think. 💉

Here are 7 sets of questions that need to be answered (and surely there are more, so feel free to add your own):

[a thread] 1) Will the vaccine candidates actually work?

Yes, there are multiple candidate vaccines and trials underway. But Phase III trials are just starting. Even with promising early phase data showing an immune response - will that response be enough?

Time to resume elective surgery cases? A thread summarizing new guidance out today from the @AmCollSurgeons #COVID19

This document intro states that peak COVID rates have already been reached, or will be within a few weeks, depending on region...

[link at end of thread] They offer four categories, each with specific issues that must be addressed locally before elective surgery may be safely resumed.

Categories:
1. COVID-19 Awareness
2. Preparedness
3. Patient Issues
4. Delivery of Safe High-Quality Care

Mixed messages on personal masks, simplified (a #COVID19 thread):

Personal masks level up #socialdistancing.

When we absolutely can't #StayHome, my mask protects you a bit, and your mask protects me a bit.

As @Surgeon_General says, it's not a substitution. It's a boost. A personal mask is not the same as a medical mask, and they have different purposes.

True, a bandana or cloth mask won't filter out airborne particles. Unless you are a healthcare professional taking care of someone with #COVID19, you probably don't need that.

Drop me some links for high quality mental health/wellness services for clinicians during #COVID19 #medtwitter

@PWWarriors @jillwenerMD @Docbasia @AmyOxentenkoMD @HarrietHopfMD @choo_ek @AlexAndersonMD @drninashapiro @drnikkistamp @mlanefall @_NancyMD @EMARIANOMD Thanks for this @ThrivePhysician!

https://twitter.com/ics_updates/status/1238180514823057408?s=21

Did you know? @US_FDA has temporarily approved use of anesthesia machines as ICU #ventilators - learn more at @APSForg with specific guidance contacts for @GEHealthcare @DraegerNews @Mindray_NA

apsf.org/apsf-asa-guida…

A #COVID19 thread/ Did you know?

Anesthesia machine ventilators are used to provide life-sustaining respiratory support every day in the operating room.

While not intended for prolonged use, these are an obvious 1st backup during the #COVID-19 pandemic and critical vent shortage

2/

So, there was a #WomenInMedicine #ATSchat this week.

Convo was great! @atscommunity, connect and #FF here: twitter.com/i/lists/123088…

Reply/RT including #ATSchat to be added automatically.

@ATSMedEd @atsearlycareer Then just click ‘members’ to see the full list. Follow each other with a quick click!

@MDqualitysafety thanks for being my demo here 🙏

#ATSchat

#crowdsourcing my workout:

Reply with an exercise for me to do, and I’ll let you know when the task is done.

No special equipment
20-60 seconds

Kill me. Let’s go!

#WomenInMedicine #SoMeDocs #medtwitter @MiznaAlKhalifa @k_shelton_data what do you have for me? I'm ready 🙂

#In2019ILearned THREAD

You don’t have to be 💯 ready for a new challenge or role.

In fact, if you’ve already mastered everything you need for that opportunity, you’d be ready to move on the the NEXT one after that.

Stop holding yourself back.

#WomenInMedicine #In2019ILearned to stop taking other people’s behavior and words personally.

Instead, I try to default to compassion. Generally, people are wonderful and we’re all doing our best. People who try to hurt others are usually hurting inside themselves.

#medtwitter

Burnout. It’s usually not due to some big thing.

Instead, lots of little things fill the plate till it overflows.

EOY - time for an audit/edit:

➡️What to keep doing

🛑What to stop doing

▶️What to start doing

#medtwitter #WomenInMedicine
Do you already do this? Yesterday, I started my lists for my Start/Stop/Continue audit.

Like many on #medtwitter, I have lots of lists.

I consider personal, work, community, family, etc

AND break each of those down again and again until I’m really looking closely 🔍

Attendees at #AWS2019 have asked for my slides. They don’t stand alone, but I’m happy to share. My core message: @WomenSurgeons experts are professionally less visible and under-compensated, but we can change that. If someone leaves your talk with this ‘take-home’, it’s a #FAIL.

Of course you know your stuff. But does the *audience* know something new? Something useful? Something actionable?

That’s what real success looks like for a #speaker.

@WomenSurgeons #WomenInMedicine

What an amazing #ANES19 for @APSForg! Thank you to the over 200 incredible tweeters who mentioned APSF - including our fabulous ambassadors - for being so engaged! 2.4 MILLION impressions over 5 days. Over 700 hundred bits of content shared. 🎉 @APSForg @AmyPearsonMD @dremilym @Ron_George @HarrietHopfMD @ASALifeline @asabcejo @EMARIANOMD @JeromeAdamsMD @NarouzeMD @ebmalinzakMD What was shared? Here are some of the top tweets from #ANES19 that included @APSForg - thank you @NarouzeMD @EMARIANOMD @HarrietHopfMD @ebmalinzakMD @ruthi_landau for leading these conversations.

Monday wrapping up at #CHEST2019 with these fun images of our community and conversations. Look at how we're connected! #hcsm #SoMeDocs @ChrisCarrollMD @virenkaul @PisaniMAP @arghavan_salles @RozyKhanDO @accpchest @CHESTFoundation Here's a hashtag node map to reveal the other hashtags and conversation topics that are hot at #CHEST2019 - seems that #womeninmedicine are in full force at this meeting! I also see timely topics like #vaping and end-of-life care highly represented. What do you see?

No big deal - just 400 of the most awesome tweeters at #ANES19. Do you see yourself? Tag a friend 🙂
@ASALifeline @womenMDinanesth @ASALifeline @womenMDinanesth @EMARIANOMD @AmyPearsonMD @dremilym @Ron_George @ankeetudani @HarrietHopfMD @SharonneHayes @AlexAndersonMD @JeromeAdamsMD My favorite conversation map! #ANES19
Follow the arrows, find the connections.

Looking at 2 days of #CHEST2019 - it's a great looking crowd of physicians! Do you see yourself? @ChrisCarrollMD @RozyKhanDO @virenkaul @arghavan_salles @drdangayach @DrBCalifornia @DrQuinnCapers4 @PisaniMAP @gretchemaben @Chaeface And what are we talking about at #CHEST2019? The top 3 retweeted are about beta blockers in #COPD, the #CHEST2019SoMe committee, and that pesky #impostersyndrome and self-doubt (#tipsfornewdocs - take note!)

1/ Unpopular thinking alert…I’m about to get honest and vulnerable, so avert your eyes or come with me [thread].

It's been a #girlpower weekend.

I was watching with my kids when Naomi Osaka beat Coco Gauff. We saw that amazing display of grace and sportsmanship. Wait... 2/ get it right - 'sportswomanship', some said.

We saw the #WomenWorthWatching campaign - powerful and right.

My son said 'what does that even mean'?

And he meant it innocently in the 'of course women are worth watching' way.

If I explain, am I planting a seed?