The #1 Rule/Step in Every Battle (Especially as a Healthcare Provider)

You and your safety first.

You're probably thinking, me first? That sounds selfish I thought that the whole point of me becoming an MD was to put others before myself and to serve humanity. You would be right in a way; about the fact that the job of any healthcare professional is to serve humanity with all that he or she is, but the only way you can do this is by practicing a very important rule your safety first.

One of the first things you learn as an EMT is that the order of safety starts with you. Your safety and that of your crew then the safety of your patient. The reason for this is that if you aren't safe then the safety of your patient is also compromised same goes with your health and well being in both your practice of medicine and in life. If you don't care for your own health and safety then how are you going to be able to effectively serve your patients to the best of your ability? The answer is you can't, or at least not as well as you could if you had cared for your self first. This rule of thumb is one that is much to frequently forgotten or put off by many healthcare professionals or in some cases even disrespected by others in your field or by those in authority over you. At times even your patients may disrespect this rule although in most cases it is done unknowingly, but this is a topic for another blog post entirely maybe it will be titled "boundaries" but I digress.

Although this rule is taught as a skill for medical care professionals the same rule applies to your everyday life. In order to give to others effectively you need to be healthy and safe yourself. Take care of your body, exercise, eat well, and take time out of each day no matter how short and enjoy something even if its simply focusing on your breathing and enjoying a moment to relax. A mentor of mine now passed on once told me that "without your health you have nothing" and he was right. Without my health how can I expect to heal the health of others and to uphold my oath as their warrior to the best of my ability and to the extent that they deserve whether my position in their battle be as a first responder, physician, or a surgeon? Taking care of yourself has many benefits including reducing stress as well as preparing your body for stressful situations.

Soldiers training to fight in battle take care of themselves (their health, etc.), they train and practice so that when the day comes that they are to fight in battle they have done all they can to be ready. You are preparing for a battle, a battle that one day will require you to act. It will demand of you every once of who and what you are, it will call for your training, your skills and put them to the test; before that day comes prepare, put your safety and health first so that on the day of battle you can tell that patient, and their family that you did everything you could.

I know that this is a tough thing to do for many of us especially when you care for others to the extent that many of us do but remember If you don't care for your own health and safety then how are you going to be able to effectively serve your patients to the best of your ability?

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