The L Word: Maintaining Resilience in the Face of Pending Litigation

In October, I spoke alongside my colleague Dr. Gita Pensa in a joint conversation about maintaining resilience when facing the stress of pending litigation. We shared our experiences at FIX18, FemInEM’s annual ideal exchange.

This week, FemInEM has shared some of my reflections about our presentation on their blog, as well as the full video of our presentation.

At the beginning of our shared talk, we asked each physician present to raise their hand if they had faced litigation. All across the crowded auditorium, hands rose. Some hands shot up quickly. These were likely physicians who have made it through to the other side of what is a long and painful journey, physicians looking for camaraderie, a shared wound. Other hands crept up cautiously. I suspect these hands belonged to physicians for whom this experience is fresh, new, and terrifying. These physicians, perhaps, still grappling with shame and fear as the complaints brought against them have forced a reexamination of the doctor they imagine themselves to be.

There was something profound in the experience of looking around that room, hands raised everywhere. In that moment existed a powerful truth made visible: we are not alone in this hardship.

To read more about my experience with Dr. Pensa and reflections on my time at FIX18, visit FemInEM’s blog, where you can also watch our talk in its entirety.