I\u2019m an emergency physician, a researcher, an educator, a spouse, a mom of two amazing young girls and associate residency director\u00a0to 30 of EM\u00a0residents\u2026and now a candidate for the ACEP Board. I have spent the last 12 years serving as a leader in residency education and organized medicine within EMRA and ACEP. \u00a0This is\u00a0the perfect time for me, personally and professionally, to take the\u00a0next step and represent our membership on a national level.\u00a0 I think it is so important for women to get involved in organized medicine, to run for leadership positions, and to put ourselves out there.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not easy. Here\u2019s some things I\u2019ve learned along the way\u2026.<\/p>\n
Lesson #1 \u2013 You can\u2019t win if you don\u2019t try. <\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s tough to put yourself out there, I think more so for women than for men.\u00a0 More often than not, we hold ourselves back. Sheryl Sandberg asks us in her book, Lean In, \u201cWhat would you do if you were not afraid of failure?\u201d My mom used to tell me that if you\u2019re not failing every now and then, you\u2019re not doing anything very innovative. Write down what your short and long terms goals are and go for it. Challenge yourself and push yourself beyond your comfort zone.<\/p>\n Lesson #2 \u2013 Remember you frequently more qualified for a role than realize.<\/strong><\/p>\n When aspiring for a leadership position or asking for a promotion, most women lack confidence, despite being qualified for the job. I know this. I\u2019ve read all about it. And yet, my first instinct when someone nominated me for the Board, was fear and a sense that I was not as ready or qualified as I should be.<\/p>\n In reality, I\u2019ve had the following ACEP roles:<\/p>\n I am ready.\u00a0 I am very qualified.\u00a0 But there\u2019s an innate sense of \u201cI\u2019m not worthy\u201d when it comes time to advocate for ourselves.\u00a0 They say that women can feel 50% confident when they are 100% prepared and most men can feel 100% confident..even when they are only 50% qualified.\u00a0 I\u2019m not sure if that is exactly true, but it makes me laugh and helped me find some strength. So you\u2019re not alone if you feel intimidated.\u00a0 Recognizing that fact is what gave me the strength to go for it anyway.<\/p>\n Lesson #3 – Part of leadership is understanding politics and learning how<\/em> to advocate for yourself.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n I am not a politician. It does not feel natural for me to work a room and ask people to vote for me. It\u2019s the same reason many women have a hard time asking for a raise or a promotion. It feels weird to tell people how great you are. But you are amazing and you deserve the promotion! So work on your elevator speech. Have a clear concise message. Watch your body language, don\u2019t play with your hair or look at the floor.\u00a0 When someone praises your work, accept the recognition and say thank you. Many of us are quick to credit someone else. \u201cI had a good team, I couldn\u2019t have done it without XYZ. I got lucky.\u201d No you didn\u2019t.\u00a0 You did a good job and you deserve the credit. Own it.<\/p>\n Lesson #4- Women with young children can be leaders!<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019ve been slightly dismayed with the reaction that parents of young children, particularly women, can\u2019t be on the ACEP Board or run for a leadership position. Ridiculous! What works for me may not work for you. It\u2019s a personal decision how you choose to balance your time.\u00a0 I\u2019ll point out that many ACEP leaders and Board members, both men and women, have young children and do just fine. Our current President, Becky Parker, had a baby while serving on the Board. You go, girl! \u00a0I am lucky in that I have a very supportive spouse and a live-in nanny.\u00a0 My husband, who is also a physician, is cutting back on his responsibilities to allow me to pursue my career goals.\u00a0 I have done the same for him in the past and our balance and compromises are what make our relationship such a blessing. For me, I wanted to be home when the girls were babies and later when they become teenagers. (That was when I needed my mom the most.) Now that they are both in grade school and busy with their own activities, I have more time to focus on other aspirations but I will always be there for the important things. I cherish my family and the time I get to spend with them, I\u2019m sure my male colleagues feel the same way. But I am a firm believer that women can be both leaders and mothers. We should advocate for each other, not judge, and encourage our colleagues to pursue their ambitions on whatever time frame works for them.<\/p>\n Lesson #5- Find great mentors and return the favor for people behind you. <\/strong><\/p>\n I have had some amazing role models and mentors and would not be running for a national position without their guidance and inspiration. I have always said that some of my best mentors and sponsors have actually been men. They have a different perspective and I value the insights they share with me. I am a better leader because of them. Female mentors are few and far between because there are not as many in leadership roles, but I know I would not be here without them and I continue to be amazed at the roads they have paved to make things better for the women who come behind them. \u00a0I would like to encourage more young women to get involved. Your perspective and your ideas matter and make a difference. It is one of many reasons I am running for the ACEP Board.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I\u2019m an emergency physician, a researcher, an educator, a spouse, a mom of two amazing young girls and associate residency director\u00a0to 30 of EM\u00a0residents\u2026and now a candidate for the ACEP Board. I have spent the last 12 years serving as…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59,"featured_media":1957,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"Lessons from @GillianMD1 on Learning to be a #leader @AAWEPSection","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[5],"tags":[29],"coauthors":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n