In this episode, Dr. Stacey Ishman discusses the impact of context switching on productivity, patient care, and overall well-being for physicians. She offers insights into the challenges of multitasking and provides strategies for managing interruptions and improving focus in academic medicine.

No need to take notes, just check out the Blog to get a summary of these insights.

If you are interested in my Academic Accelerator Course designed to chart your personalized path to promotion for physicians in the first 5 years of practice, check it out on the website.

This course is designed to help you set up your practice, learn finances 101, build a research program, build a national reputation, and prepare a personalized plan for promotion. My mission is to help you envision your ideal career and create a path to your version of success.

Join us to kickstart your career.

Key Points:

1. Introduction and Context Switching Defined (1:08 - 2:32 )

   - Explanation of context switching and its prevalence in medical practice

   - Surprising statistic: Only 2.5% of people can effectively multitask

1. Impact on Productivity (2:32 - 3:26 )

   - Context switching reduces productivity by 20-40%

   - It takes an average of 23 minutes to fully return to an original task after an interruption

   - Primary care physicians experience 5-23 interruptions per hour

1. Strategies for Focused Work (3:26 - 4:47 )

   - Creating focused work periods and minimizing interruptions

   - Grouping similar tasks together

   - Setting up structured periods for uninterrupted work

1. Patient Safety and Care Quality (4:48 - 7:20 )

   - Interruptions during medication-related tasks increase error rates by 13%

   - Each interruption is associated with a 12% increase in procedural failures

   - High cognitive load linked to 30-40% decrease in diagnostic accuracy

1. Cognitive Load and Decision-Making (7:20 - 8:42 )

   - Impact of context switching on mental fatigue and decision-making abilities

   - Importance of managing cognitive load for maintaining mental sharpness

1. Burnout Prevention and Career Development (8:42 - 10:15 )

   - Connection between constant interruptions and physician burnout

   - Strategies for prioritizing tasks and enhancing work quality

1. Tips and Tricks for Managing Context Switching (10:15 - 13:45 )

   - Time blocking techniques, including the Pomodoro method

   - Creating smarter to-do lists

   - Batching similar tasks

   - Practicing intentional context switching

Summary (13:45 - end)

Dr. Ishman emphasizes the importance of reducing context switching to improve productivity, patient care, and personal well-being for physicians. She provides practical strategies for managing interruptions and creating focused work periods, highlighting the long-term benefits for career advancement and quality of life in academic medicine. 

Please RATE, REVIEW and FOLLOW the Medical Mentor Coaching Podcast on your favorite app (well Apple and Spotify since that is where we are right now!)

If you are interested in getting in touch with us or providing topic suggestions, please:

•   DM me on Instagram at @sishmancoach OR


•   Message me on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/medical-mentor-coaching OR


•   Email me at staceyishmancoach@gmail.com OR


•   Contact me at the website at www.medicalmentorcoaching.com/welcome