Boundaries as a Physician

I must set boundaries and learn to say no

I advise myself repeatedly, and then throw

My own advice out of the window when I am faced

With a request to take on more, I manage to create space

For the extra work commitment, but it comes at a personal cost

Before I realize it, precious hours have been lost

Carved out of the time that I was supposed to be

Spent on social obligations and self-care, with friends and family

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I agree to do more when I do not mean to do so

I know patient care suffers when I say no

Extra meetings and administrative work I can decline

But where patient care is concerned, the boundary is harder to define

So I take on extra patient load despite being over-scheduled

I have not declined requests for urgent appointments as a rule

The question of what if an adverse event occurs if I do not see

A patient who needs help weighs heavily on me

Sometimes the need is genuine, but at other times it appears

That I have allowed myself to be taken advantage of, given my fears

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Without imposing boundaries, I’m stretched thin most days

I have to come up with more ingenious ways

To protect my time and my sanity preserve

Be intentional about my work, my energy conserve

And yet attend to every patient with an urgent need

I have to work in finding the sweet spot indeed