Most people don’t want a creative anesthesiologist, and no one wants a fashionable anesthesiologist either.
I mean, I rock my scrubs as well as anyone can, but personal style is often left outside of the hospital’s doors, especially as a woman of color.
To highlight:
- A survey found that 87 percent of women physicians felt patients treat them differently.
- Even further, a study revealed that 90.2 percent of URM (underrepresented minority) female healthcare workers faced discrimination, 87.1 percent for Asian females.
I’ve gotten used to people trying to write me off because I’m a small Asian woman—I’ve frequently been asked, after I’ve been speaking to the patient for 10 minutes and introduced myself as their doctor, when “the doctor” is coming. And I can’t tell you how many times patients or their family members have said, “You’re our doctor? You look too young to be a doctor.”
So, as you can imagine, I don’t really take chances with the way I present myself at the hospital. I take my job very seriously and maintain a straitlaced demeanor because I know my patients and their families are relying on me to help them through a very difficult time.
Once I get home, I feel like I can take off my “professional doctor” hat and put on a completely different hat, one where I talk about my skincare routine or unbox a purse or a pair of shoes on social media. If I’m feeling extra spiffy, I’ll do a dance or a funny skit.
But that doesn’t affect what I did that day or what I’ll do tomorrow in the operating room. It doesn’t mean I’m any less dedicated to my job because I care about something other than anesthesia. In fact, I started doing a lot of these things on social media because my job was so serious, and I needed some kind of outlet. After 10 hours in the operating room, I need things that are pretty and fun to take my mind off the stresses of work.
Seek Creativity—Your Brain Will Thank You
I fully believe that having other interests actually makes me a better doctor.
This revelation isn’t just for healthcare workers—65 percent of U.S. workers, ranging in careers, have characterized work as a very significant or somewhat significant source of stress. Especially for those in naturally high-pressure jobs, it’s no surprise that this strain spills over into other areas of life.
With that, have you ever wondered why burnouts make you feel less attentive or dissociative? When we leave chronic stress unchecked, our job performance declines. Chronic stress impairs our cognitive functions—think increased errors, worse memory, less effective communication, the list goes on and on.
You need outlets for releasing this tension. To counteract a stressful day that may often be out of our control, when we create art and forms of self-expression, our cortisol levels lower. Our stress subsides, and we tend to feel more relaxed and calm.
For me, it’s delving into fashion, skincare, and making social media content. But for you (if a TikTok dance isn’t your thing), that could be painting or sculpting, solving puzzles, or even just listening to music—all of these examples are from the APA’s research into creative activities that adults reported using to relieve stress and anxiety.
Find what truly allows you to disconnect from the day, even if it’s just for a few moments.
Be Proud of Your Interests
For a long time, I hid my love for beauty and fashion from my colleagues at the hospital because I didn’t want them to think I wasn’t serious about my career. But when I started posting on social media about the challenges of being a professional woman with diverse interests, I got a huge response from women of all ages and from all careers. Many people have told me that they’re inspired by the fact that I’m a doctor who also loves things like fashion and beauty.
I’ll never forget one particular follower who reached out to me. She was a young Asian female medical student with a passion for art. She asked me if she could send me a drawing, and I agreed. Not long after that, I received in the mail a picture in which I’m depicted on one side in my scrubs in an operating room and on the other side in an evening gown. In the bottom corner, she wrote “#SheCanBeBoth.”
This was something I wished I had known growing up—that it’s not either/or but and.
After receiving this drawing, I started using the hashtags #SheCanBeBoth and #SheCanDoBoth on social media to honor all the different dimensions of myself and other women out there—because we can be both. I found that other women were using this hashtag as well to celebrate the fact that we can thrive in multiple roles and careers. And that we won’t be boxed in.
So, take that pottery class. Follow along with a makeup tutorial. Do what makes you feel good. Because it’s not a distraction away from your career, it’s an asset.