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#MeanReviews: Flipping Imposter Syndrome on Its Head

Event Time: Monday May 6, 2019 4:00 pm to 4:45 pm
ELA Type: The Grand Experience - Navigating Your Career
Topic(s): Experiential Learning Area, General Neurology, Research Methodology and Education, Academic
Director(s): Rachel Marie Salas MD, FAAN
Description: As healthcare providers, we are often told about the triumphs of medicine but behind those triumphs are often innumerable disappointments and “wishful do-overs.”  Inarguably, disappointments are not shared openly and are often internalized to the point that the most successful individuals can still be overwhelmed with regret and shame.  Shame is a self-conscious emotion that is experienced in response to perceived transgressions, which include errors and failures to achieve expectations. Moreover, even in the context of having examples of triumphs and success, shame can cause an individual to feel flawed, deficient, or unworthy. Imposter syndrome and self-doubt can result in one believing that he/she is underperforming despite meeting or exceeding external expectations. As health professionals, we may tend to compare ourselves to others, aim to be perfectionists, and struggle with subjective standards of performance that may drive shame. Experiencing shame in a culture that values both confidence and competence often results in individuals to internalize shame as a private secret. The truth is that we all have felt shame, disappointment, rejection and even regret. Using Jimmy Kimmel’s Celebrity #MeanTweets as inspiration, join us to share our moments of disappointment, rejection and how it may fuel the imposter profile in your career in Neurology and how recognition of this relationship can help to turn it on its head from being a deficit to an asset in your professional career.   In this session, we seek to create a forum for participants to openly explore the transition period as a potentially high-risk period for shame, imposter syndrome, and emotional distress. We will provide a brief overview of shame and imposter syndrome. Using personal vignettes about our own struggles with shame, we hope to normalize the emotion and create a safe environment that fosters honest dialogue amongst attendees. Attendees will explore their feelings of shame and imposter syndrome and will work to brainstorm specific strategies for preventing or mitigating their effects.   This is a spinoff of Dr. William Bynum’s (Duke University School of Medicine) session at the 2018 AAMC meeting. “Am I an imposter? The potential impact of shame and imposter syndrome on well-being during transition periods Submission”
Completion Message:
CME Credits: 0.75
Core Competencies: Professionalism

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