FEATURE
12 Pearls to Help You Care for Patients, Stay Out of Trouble, and Avoid Burnout
From "the four most important words in medicine" to "the one question you should never ask your patients," these lessons can help you avoid pitfalls and experience more joy in practice.
Fam Pract Manag. 2025;32(2):19-24
Author disclosure: no relevant financial relationships.
I recently retired after 32 years of practicing family medicine, including caring for patients in the office, hospital, nursing home, urgent care, and obstetric settings and teaching physicians, residents, and students. Over the years, I have collected a number of “pearls” — small but valuable lessons learned through experience and struggle. Previously in FPM, I shared coding and documentation pearls.1–2 In this article, I'll share practical pearls that can help you care for patients, stay out of trouble, and avoid burnout.
KEY POINTS
Small shifts in how you communicate with patients can affect their satisfaction. For example, if you happen to be running behind, “Thank you for waiting” sets a more positive tone than “Sorry I'm late.”
To avoid running behind, aim to work at 90% to 95% of your maximum capacity. This leaves room in your schedule for last-minute patients, committee work, EHR work, or learning new skills.
Other keys to an efficient and rewarding practice include hiring a good nurse (or MA), always having a follow-up plan, identifying your preferred workflows, and understanding your work RVUs.
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