By Justine Roberts
Witnessing greatness in a fellow clinician can yield mixed feelings, including awe and wonder, curiosity and respect, and perhaps even a touch of jealousy. You may assume that a clinician with a lot of experience, knowledge, respect, and credibility would be confident and never experience self-doubt. How would your opinion change if you knew that clinician’s opinion of themselves? The emotions and insecurities that lie within might surprise you. Ironically, some of the highest achievers live with some of the most crushing feelings of self-doubt and a distorted perception of success.
Many successful professionals struggle with a very common, restrictive phenomenon called “imposter syndrome.” This internal struggle affects many of the hugely successful people we work to emulate, and is often the same struggle that many of us grapple with on a daily basis.
Identifying Imposter Syndrome
Feelings of inadequacy are often a hallmark initial symptom of imposter syndrome. However, physician associates experience imposter syndrome differently based on their individual personalities and work situations. The Imposter Syndrome Institute outlines five types of “imposters:”
- The Perfectionist: They consider anything other than an absolutely perfect experience and outcome to be a failure.
- The Expert: They focus on knowing the most about a given topic. If they fall short of knowing every detail, they believe they have failed.
- The Soloist: They are independent to a fault. If they require outside assistance or resources, it means that they are failing.
- The Natural Genius: They expect mastery of a given task to come quickly and easily. They are very uncomfortable with tasks that require time, study, and outside help to complete.
- The Superhuman: These folks do it all and expect to do it all with grace, ease, and harmony. When their roles fall out of balance, they feel a sense of failure.
It’s important to appreciate and recognize these attributes in yourself and in others. As a seasoned clinician, you may be tasked with leadership responsibilities including mentoring or supervising clinicians who are grappling with feelings of self-doubt. Recognizing a junior PA’s triggers will allow you to redirect their negative thoughts and help them embrace change, focus on the positive, and grow through uncomfortable situations.
Tips for Getting Past Imposter Syndrome
To move past imposter syndrome, it can be helpful to think of the practice of medicine as an evolutionary art and center the notion of progressive mastery. If you can appreciate the inexact science of medicine and accept your own humanity, you should be able to weather the ebbs and flows of your clinical practice more easily. Recognizing opportunities to regulate your expectations and helping others to regulate theirs will also make for a much happier and healthier experience for all.
Get creative—a bit of self-reflection may reveal ways you discredit your own success. Identify habits that sabotage your perception of self-worth and confidence, and put preventative measures in place. Hedging negative thoughts and emotions early on will prevent the spiral of self- doubt. The following suggestions will help get you started:
- Create a list of positive experiences and achievements, and keep this list handy. In moments of doubt, remembering previous feelings of success and gratitude can change your attitude for the better. Allow yourself to feel the excitement of success and know that you are worthy of the positive emotions that come with achieving goals.
- Take the time to cherish the sense of excitement that accompanies checking the last item off of a “to-do” list as opposed to adding three more items, which is a common habit of people prone to imposter syndrome. Allow yourself to feel the relief and joy of truly wiping the slate clean. Let it be done and let yourself rest. Be realistic about what can be accomplished in a day. Being busy does not translate to being successful. Efficiency, however, is key to being successful.
- One of the practices that brings me the most joy and sense of success is to create a “to-do” list that has categories—something I call “Strategic Listing.” At one point in time, I was running multiple businesses, practicing clinically, teaching, and raising two babies with the help of my amazing husband. People constantly commented that they couldn’t understand how “it” was all done and done well. The key was that I took pride in my attention to the task at hand and categorized tasks according to where they needed to happen—home, my medical practice, my consulting company. This ensured I was fully present and focused in each setting.
- Make an effort to own your achievements, and be mindful of the process and effort it took to reach them. Imposters will credit successes to a lack of competition, the help of others, or a mistake in judgment. Know your worth. Take the time to close your eyes and think of the moments leading up to being chosen for a project or an achievement. Consider what set you apart to earn this opportunity. One of my favorite quotes is that of Louis Pasteur: “Chance favors the prepared mind.” Another favorite is credited to multiple brilliant minds and is the title of Joe Ricketts’ (founder of TD Ameritrade) memoir: The Harder You Work, the Luckier You Get.
- Make a habit of celebrating others. When you congratulate someone on their promotion, be sure to recognize the attributes of their work leading up to that promotion. Many of us put the hard work in when no one is watching, but still, it feels good to be seen. When someone compliments something that you have worked for, instead of minimizing the significance of your accomplishment, own it! Rather than thinking “I didn’t work that hard to purchase my car, home, or trip,” focus on what it took to meet that goal and allow yourself to feel pride.
A Common Experience
Many high achievers hold themselves to an extremely high standard. PAs work hard to get into PA school and work even harder to graduate and pass the PANCE. Each patient they see is a test of their knowledge, compassion, and endurance. The practice of medicine is consuming. Is it any wonder that many PAs are stuck in a cycle of perfectionism, measuring their success using “pass or fail” standards? The pursuit of perfection is what makes us worthy of our patients’ care.
As a PA, you will impact the lives of an unfathomable number of patients and colleagues throughout your career. If you make a conscious effort to be kind to yourself, you will be able to extend the same kindness to others.
References:
Imposter syndrome. Student Learning Programs. (n.d.). https://studentlearning.stanford.edu/imposter-syndrome#:~:text=The%20imposter%20syndrome%20cycle%20typically,ways%20(for%20instance%2C%20
Impostor Syndrome Institute, LLC. (n.d.). The 5 types of impostors. 5 Types of Imposters. https://impostorsyndrome.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/The5TypesOfImpostors.pdf
Justine Roberts, MPAS, PAC, DFAAPA, MBA, RVT, is the co-owner and lead injector at Smooch Aesthetics and CEO of Sculpted Concepts, LLC. She has practiced reconstructive plastic surgery and aesthetic medicine for a combined sixteen years and worked as a clinical educator for medical device and education companies for ten.