Here's how you can use emotional intelligence to navigate decision-making with physicians.

The current healthcare system often makes it challenging for physicians to focus on emotional intelligence (EI) due to several systemic issues, such as corporoate influence, meaningless metrics (i.e Press Ganey scores) administrative burdens, high stress environment and complete lack of support. To counter these negative influences : 1. Stay driven by the goal of providing excellent patient centered care. 2. Maintain pforessionalism, to ensure own emotions don't lead to impuslive decisions 3. Understand your emotions, find your why and quit jobs which have become meaningless.

In medical toxicology, we often deal with emotionally vulnerable cases, including suicides. Understanding and managing our emotions ensures we make clear, compassionate decisions.

We need emotional intelligence (EI)more than ever before when working with Physicians. I tend to divide EI into two : The Self skills and the social skills. When you understand yourself (self awareness and self management) you then can understand others (social skills with empathy and motivation). It can then help us to work better with Physicians.

In my last 10 years of clinical practice at Yale, I cannot provide a single example of "active listening" either as a personal experience or an observed story involving a colleague speaking to administration. During this period, I have witnessed a significant number of my peers leave their positions, with statistics showing that 1 in 5 physicians quit their jobs during the pandemic in the US. The dialogue with physicians has been increasingly politicized. Additionally, the burden of high college debt forces many physicians to operate in survival mode within corporate systems, often compromising their values and priorities in patient care.

In medical toxicology, active listening is crucial, especially when dealing with emotionally vulnerable cases. By fully engaging with physicians, we can better understand their concerns and collaborate effectively for optimal patient care.

Active listening is an important skill during decision making with Physicians. The aim is to be fully understood during the conversation and Communication. One must be fully present in the MOMENT during active listening.

In medical toxicology, empathy builds trust with physicians, understanding their pressures while ensuring decisions remain objective and evidence-based.

Unfortunately, decision-making alongside physicians has become a rarity in our profession. Only those physicians who work independently can still claim to have a significant role in decision-making. The current healthcare system, dominated by corporate interests and burdened by metrics like Press Ganey scores, leaves little room for genuine decision-making collaboration. Physicians, often overwhelmed by administrative burdens and high-stress environments, struggle to have their voices heard. Many, burdened by high college debt, find themselves merely trying to survive within these corporate systems rather than acting according to their professional values.

managing conflicts with physicians involves early recognition and proactive resolution. Understanding emotional triggers helps navigate disagreements diplomatically, aiming for solutions that respect all parties' concerns and maintain positive relationships

In medical toxicology, influencing physicians effectively means tailoring your communication. Some respond to data, others to patient stories. Use emotional intelligence to align your approach, enhancing the chance of a positive outcome