Today’s inane image of the day:
We receive feedback in numerous areas of our life. When training to become a physician, there are a lot of different timepoints where structured feedback is given. Sometimes that feedback is negative or critical. It never feels good to be the recipient of this type of feedback, but it is inevitable… none of us are perfect.
I recently received written feedback from my residents and while there were certainly positive comments, all I could do was focus on the negatives. I’d almost say I perseverated on the negatives. So I thought I’d do something productive with it… figure out the best ways to deal with this type of feedback when it comes and share it with all of you. Here’s what I came up with:
Four tips for dealing with negative feedback
- Find the right time and headspace to receive the feedback [especially if it is written]
- Don’t forget/ignore the positive feedback
- What are the lessons or actionable things you can take from this feedback?
- Some feedback can be dismissed
In the video, I also go over 3 instances in my career when I received negative feedback that really impacted me. One instance as a pre-medical student [being told I wouldn’t become a physician], a second instance as medical student [during a clinical rotation that I almost failed because of my attitude], and finally, the third instance as an attending [I’m still working on this one!].