Physician Support Groups (Sundays) | Peer Support for Doctors →

Physician Trauma Recovery (2 pm EST) ~ Heal from imposter syndrome, savior complex, catastrophic thinking, gaslighting, retaliation, bullying, betrayal, exhaustion, workaholism, medical mistakes, patient deaths, grief, guilt, anxiety, med board investigations & suicidal thoughts. Replace pain with peace & connection among peers. (2 hours). Register here for your Zoom link.

Manipulative Medical Marketing (4 pm ET) ~ Ever wonder why doctors sell their souls to big-box assembly-line clinics? Why do physicians fall for pharmaceutical lies and deceit? If you’ve felt duped by a slick sales scheme, join us to learn manipulative marketing tactics used against doctors (& patients) to undermine informed consent, body autonomy, and true healing—so you can use the same tactics ETHICALLY to grow your practice & immunize yourself against future psychological assault. (1 hour). Contact Dr. Wible to apply.

Narrative Medicine Reflections (5 pm EST) ~ Explore your journey in medicine amog an intimate group of physicians. Renew your passion for healing through uncensored storytelling. Rediscover your creative genius. (1 hour). Register here for your Zoom link.

Business Mastermind (8 pm EST) ~ Master advanced business strategies for your ideal clinic, coaching, or consulting business (must be Fast Track grad). (1 hour). Register here.

 ❤️  Confidential groups curated by Dr. Wible @ $97/mo. All healers welcome ❤️

Register now for your confidential Zoom link.

Free doctor suicide helpline(Weekly sessions nonrefundable once link shared)

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Physician Wellness Retreats | Physician “Burnout” Retreats →

Spring Physician Retreats

MARCH 27 – 30  😍 LAUNCH YOUR IDEAL CLINIC OR COACHING PRACTICE. LIVE RETREAT on Oregon coast. You’ll leave with fee schedule, contracts & website copy to get ideal clients immediately. Includes 20-hour Fast-Track, weekly coaching through June & 30 hours CME. RETREAT FULL

APRIL 28 – 30 ❤️‍🩹 PRIVATE PHYSICIAN RETREAT. VIRTUAL or LIVE. More on private retreats here. For additional dates, contact Dr. Wible.

MAY 26 – 28   🧠 CREATE YOUR IDEAL PRACTICE. YES! You CAN quit assembly-line medicine & do what you really love! Create a coaching or clinic side gig that becomes your main gig. VIRTUAL RETREAT includes 20-hour Fast-Track, weekly coaching through June & 30 hours CME.

LIVE RETREATS INCLUDE: most meals, all educational sessions, spa services & weekly support now through June 💚 Retreats are 5K & 100% DEDUCTIBLE as business expense 💚

To join us: Contact Dr. Wible here.

Monthly Physician Retreats

What Physicians Are Saying

This retreat was the most amazing experience of my life, It really was. Thank you. You saved my life.” ~ Family Medicine Resident, PA

“In my life as the son of a doctor and a psychiatrist, I’ve run across all kinds of would-be healers and experts of the mind. I’ve never come across anyone like you or anything like this experience—the depth of clarity and awareness that you brought to this process you were facilitating within me—I just don’t know how to talk about it or find words. You were laser-focused on lighting a path for me to discover my dreams. You were working on a different dimension that I couldn’t quite see. And you did it without any pretenses, judgement or bullshit.” ~ Psychiatrist, WI

“Having been hospitalized several times for severe depression and suicidality, I can absolutely say that Pamela’s environment is much more conducive to healing than a psychiatric ward. I’m launching my own clinic when I get home to escape a very toxic operating room environment. Oh, and I left as an author.”    ~ Anesthesiologist, TX

“I came to you a broken person. What is the poem on the Statue of Liberty? Give me your poor, huddled masses yearning to breathe free. I’ll never forget the feeling of you speaking to me in a way that was very directed. I felt I was breathing the light of your breath through the air into my lungs that was birthing this life inside of me. . . I love how you specialize in healing physicians’ souls.” ~ Family Physician, OR

To join us: Contact Dr. Wible here.

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Is suicide a good option for me? →

Is suicide a good option for me?

A physician just wrote me:

“I know people try to prevent suicide at all costs, but on the flip side if someone is just suffering so much everyday, couldn’t it be considered the lesser of two evils? Everyone says it’s such a selfish act, but maybe the person needs to be selfish to get out of pain. How long is a person supposed to suffer? What type of life is it to sit around and suffer?”

I’ve been running a doctor suicide helpline for more than a decade and have spent thousands of hours speaking to suicidal doctors. Here’s my advice to you:

1) Suicide may be a good option for terminally ill.  I’ve helped my terminally ill patients (with physical illness and less than 6 months to live) die by suicide. I am not against suicide for terminal illness.

2) Mental illness is rampant and poorly treated in our society. Even physicians are not receiving proper comprehensive help for mental illness. Most doctor who seek helps are medicated with conventional drugs. They’ve not been offered such interventions as spiritual therapies, psychedelic ceremonies, or proper curated peer support.

3) Many (falsely) believe they have treatment-resistant depression. Just because allopathic interventions fail does not mean one’s mental illness is resistant to complementary and alternative therapies. Integrative psychiatrists know that rewiring our neural networks is possible. Are you working with the right psychiatrist? Some offer a holistic and “sacred” approach to ECT and EMDR. Most physician-patients are unaware of all their options—and have no idea how to find reputable and safe non-standard therapies for these unknown solutions.

One doctor shares:

“The Sacramental use of psilocybin or other Entheogens was the most effective approach for me. Ceremonial use of these medicines brings in the wisdom of age-old traditions that use these Medicines to help us reconnect to ourselves, not as a solution for any particular malady but as a way to return to balance and in turn, finding deeper understanding, improvement or resolution of our depression.”

4) First-line treatment should be curated peer support. I suggest highly targeted peer support as the foundation of any suicide prevention plan. Isolation and loneliness is immediately ameliorated in a properly facilitated group with similar emotional wounds. I’ve been leading physician peer support groups for years. Share your story. Don’t suppress your tears. Most of the time, what is needed is human interaction. One surgeon reported: “Spending two hours with you all was more helpful than any therapist I’ve seen, anything they did on inpatient psych, any help I’ve gotten yet.”

5) Suicide is often a failure of community. When suffering is individually pathologized, the person is blamed for their condition. When we recognize that the “illness” is a normal reaction to an abnormal or traumatic situation, the wisdom of the individual’s psychological response finally makes sense. Recognizing societal influences and community/family dysfunction that lead to suicidal thinking is crucial. Identifying ACES (Adverse Childhood Events) can help us identify the family-of origin-core wound. Reference: Did your wounded child choose your career?

6) Defining the core wound is key. Most suicides are a culmination of many factors poorly managed over years. Discovering the origin story or genesis of the core wound allows us to successfully address the primary issue (versus just dealing with the sequelae of the untreated core wound). If you feel detached from your inner core, find a hobby that brings you pleasure as a way to find yourself again. Sometimes our core wound is grief for the a loss of self or self image.

7) Suicide is an occupational hazard of the medical profession. Physicians are dying by suicide triple the rate of their patients. Why? We’re groomed in an atmosphere of self-betrayal and self-abuse. Hazardous working conditions lead to destruction of our own health and personal relationships with family. Physicians are placed on a pedestal until we can no longer perform—then we are vilified. We are not allowed to be human and are disconnected from our feelings, emotions, and spiritual core. Reference: Physician Betrayal: How Our Heroes Become Villains.

8) We are spiritual beings living a finite human experience. Yet physicians are cut off from our humanity and untethered from our souls. Shells of our former selves just going through the motions with no passion or zest for life—a direct result of the methodical dehumanization of medical education and practice. I’ve interviewed many physicians who have survived their suicide attempts. All are grateful that they are still here and regret the desperate decision they made in a time of crisis.

9) I believe suicidal physicians are not terminally ill. When offered holistic interventions and removed from hazardous working conditions, most all physicians heal quickly. Doctors must be receptive to ALL therapies and receive them in a structured (not haphazard) fashion. Doctors have curable mental health conditions that often began in childhood and were exacerbated by medical training and practice.

One wise physician (who lost her own physician husband to suicide) shares:

“I consider no disease terminal until you think so—and self motivation is the key what you want to do with your life. If you think you will get better—you will. Spirituality says the same. You become what you believe you want to be.”

10) Suicide is a terrible option for a curable condition.

Need to talk? Contact Dr. Wible.

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Doctors are harming patients. What can I do? →

Physician Betrayal

A med student just wrote me:

“Last month on my pulmonary rotation doctors were not serious about contact precautions. Most patients were on steroids and immunocompromised. The doctors did not wash their hands and encouraged me not to wash my hands either! They didn’t even clean their stethoscopes. So basically just carrying all the viruses and infections from patient to patient. On my surgery rotation, I saw surgeons show up an hour after the patient was anesthetized. I’m not happy about this, yet I’ve been told there’s nothing I can do about it. Whenever I share my concerns, they always try to minimize by saying, ‘Yeah we’re endangering patients’ lives, but it’s just because we don’t have time. What are you going to do about it?’ I don’t know what to do. Please help me.”

My advice after more than a decade helping trainees in your situation:

1) Save your soul first. To preserve your mental health, document everything. Above all, stay true to yourself. To understand the cycle of betrayal in medical training, download free ebook (20-min read): Physician Betrayal: How Our Heroes Become Villains. To pursue formal complaint or legal action, follow these documentation guidelines. Know your whistleblower protection rights.

2) Pursue collective action. You are witnessing a systemic failure of the medical education system. To avoid retaliation, join together with medical trainees, nurses, and/or patients to resolve safety issues. Nurses are great allies. Be tactful and unite to address infection control. Hospital-acquired infections are a big deal. Collective action prevents individual retaliation as this doctor explains:

“We had a professor who would intimidate us during his lectures. He’d point to somebody in the back of the room and tell them to stop doing what they were doing and pay attention or else! Well, our class knew there was nobody in the back making noise. Nobody was discourteous. We checked with the upperclassmen and discovered this had been his routine all along—intimidating the class into submission. We decided that we would not put up with this. The next time, we called him on it. The president of our class stood up and told him, ‘We know what you are doing. There is nobody in the back making noise. We are not staying in your lecture. We are leaving.’ And we got up en masse—all 160 students—and we walked to the dean’s office and reported this. We never saw the professor again.”

3) Attempt internal resolution first. Arrange a meeting for your group with the hospital safety or quality improvement team. Your hospital may have an infection control officer or nurse. You may also bring your collective concerns to the ombudsman. Many academic medical centers have an ombudsman—a confidential advocate to help resolve conflict by facilitating communication between all concerned parties. Most ombuds take their job seriously and may help you identify an attorney. Some break confidentiality.

4) File external complaints. If internal resolution fails amid a systemic patient safety issue, choose a systemic intervention such as an anonymous complaints to the Joint Commission and to the State Department of Health. NOTE:  A medical board complaint is usually filed against an individual doctor and does not address a systemic issue. By complaining as an individual med student to your school, AAMC, or ACGME, you may end up facing retaliation.

5) Submit OSHA complaint. You have the right to a safe workplace. If your workplace is unsafe, unhealthful, or hazardous, file a confidential Occupational Safety and Health Administration complaint to trigger an on-site inspection by a compliance officer trained to protect workers and their rights. Then request a health hazard evaluation through NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health). They will perform an assessment of physician work conditions and file a report with recommendations. Three employees are required to request a NIOSH evaluation. Your identity will remain confidential.

6) Pursue media exposure. Hospitals hate bad press and patient lawsuits. An op-ed signed by your group or the threat of legal action from an attorney can be very effective.

7) Consider legal representation. If patients have suffered death or disability from hospital-acquired infections, the hospital may be held liable if the facility failed to uphold medical standard of care.

For more information, reference Human Rights Violations in Medicine.

Are you a medical trainee who needs help? Contact Dr. Wible.

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Why Parents Force Kids To Be Doctors →

Future Doctor Babies

Do #FutureDoctor Babies Risk Future Depression?

When I see an infant dressed as a “future doctor,” I cringe.

I’m used to helping premeds, not preemies or toddlers in surgical scrubs. How do I stage an intervention with parents of a premed baby?

I’m Dr. Pamela Wible. I run a suicide helpline—for doctors. When I ask, “When did you decide to be a doctor?” Many say grade school—some as young as two!

I used to be in awe of their inner knowing. How can a toddler (not yet potty trained) be aiming for med school?

My friend knew at three. Her dad would always point at her in her diapers and say, “There’s my doctor!” Now she’s a nurse practitioner in her forties with depression—still trying to get into med school—still seeking validation from her deceased dad—still wanting to fulfill his dream.

Parental pressure to pursue a medical career leads to depression—which may worsen as a physician.

Last year, I got this three-word email: “Please help me.” I called right back. A woman answered—with a noose around her neck. First-generation Korean American. Her parents always demanded, “Either be a doctor or pharmacist.” Her sister’s a pharmacist. So she’s the doctor (in a toxic residency). She felt her only way out was death. I talked her down. Today she’s alive—after a career change.

Both women were branded #FutureDoctors as babies. Both were nudged in subtle—and not-so-subtle ways—since birth to pursue a profession with high rates of depression and suicide.

Why do parents pressure children to go to medical school? Is this a form of child abuse by well-meaning parents who only “want the best” for their kids?

Top 10 reasons parents force babies to be doctors

1. Trophy children

Social currency and bragging rights. A physician trophy child with the best test scores means superior genes. How important is the trophy? After losing their son to suicide in med school—a family was given the option to sign a nondisclosure agreement—to never speak about their son’s death—in exchange for his diploma. They chose the diploma.

2. Proof of great parenting

A medical diploma proves mommy and daddy did everything for their kids and were the best parents ever!

3. Financial security

Babies are an investment and parents want a financial return. “We’re poor, so we’re counting on you to be a doctor or we wasted our lives.” My friend’s parents actually say this to her.

4. Parent’s dream

Family members will implant (even subconsciously) their own unfulfilled dreams in their offspring. Students have told me, “I hate medical school, but my parents want me to be a doctor.”

5. Tradition

Some families want baby boys to have matching circumcisions, others want babies in matching professions. A sad med student from India told me she had “no choice”—everyone in her family is a doctor!

6. Playing it “safe”

Is choosing a “non-risky” career for your newborn better than letting your kid pick a  job they’d love? Parents believe sending their child to train in a hospital with hundreds of doctors is the safest place on Earth—until they lose their #FutureDoctor to suicide.

7. Peer pressure

When Jewish mothers say, “my son the doctor,” other Jewish mothers—like my grandma—want the same thing. As a mama’s boy, my dad was told to be a doctor. He planned to be a sculptor and work in motion pictures—but ended up a theatrical pathologist sculpting corpses in the morgue.

8. Pinnacle of success

The doctor-as-God image makes medicine feel more like a religion than a profession. Giving birth to a #FutureDoctor must feel like birthing Jesus.

My ex has audio of his mom reading him a book: “A Trip to the Doctor” at age two. In her Brooklyn accent she pleads, “Don’t you want to be a doctor to help all the boys and girls?” He screams, “No! I don’t wanna be a doctor!” She keeps repeating her question—until he agrees.

9. Peace of mind

When your kid is well paid and can save your life in the middle of the night with the best medical care ever—you’ll have no more worries.

10. Parental love

My divorced parents are not-so-emotionally-available workaholic doctors. Both tried to talk me out of medicine, but I knew as a kid the only way to spend time with them was to tag along to work in the morgue and psychiatric hospitals (and I loved it!).

When I became a doctor, I interrogated my parents on why they became doctors. Separately (so they couldn’t cheat). Both listed the usual: help people, good money, stable job. “But why?” I pressed them for the real reason. Dad poured another glass of vodka and murmured, “So my mother would love me.” Mom got pissed before spewing out the truth, “Because I thought my mother would finally love me.”

So yep, I get really creeped out by these #FutureDoctor onesies.

Future Doctor Onesie

 

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Doctor Buys Patients Gym Memberships →

Fear and isolation have led to alarming rates of anxiety, depression—even suicides—in our community and exercise is a great way to shed ‘pandemic pounds,’ improve mental health, and combat social withdrawal—all while supporting a local business—a win-win for everyone.

So I’m announcing a philanthropic community partnership with IN Shape Fitness to help combat the devastating physical, emotional, and economic setbacks to my friends, neighbors, and patients with free gym memberships.

I’m Dr. Pamela Wible and I run a suicide helpline—for doctors—a profession with a high rate of suicide. We can all see the emotional toll of the pandemic on patients—and doctors. When I’m not on the phone with suicidal med students and doctors from around the country (& even as far as India) you can often find me at the gym.

My goal is to inspire people to exercise—a great first-line intervention for anxiety, depression, and suicidal thinking—and get back in shape physically and emotionally.

I invite you to join IN Shape Athletic Club—your new full-service fitness facility featuring free weights, Paramount circuit training, modern cardiovascular equipment, tanning beds—even childcare. You’ll receive a free orientation with your own certified personal trainer to demo proper technique and provide the right exercise plan to achieve your health goals. Enjoy group yoga, dance, strength-training, and Zumba classes—all free with your membership.

Are you ready to get IN Shape?

Call 541-687-2200 for a personal tour of our spacious, safe, clean, and friendly club with staff who always welcome you by name—with a smile. Plus I’d LOVE to exercise with you! 💕

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