Episode 14: Enhancing Your Emotional Intelligence

In this episode, we are so excited to bring you part 2 of emotional intelligence (EQ). First, check out Part 1: EQ for Healthcare Providers (Episode 13).

Emotional intelligence affects both patient and provider outcomes. A staggering 80% of medical errors are due to miscommunication (2014). Logically, improving our EQ will help us connect with people of different backgrounds, communicate clearly, and thus improve patient outcomes. However, we were surprised to find that there is relatively little research exploring EQ and patient outcomes.

The link between EQ, burnout, and resilience has received more empirical attention. Emotional intelligence is inversely correlated with burnout because EQ increases resilience. When we consider the key components of EQ (self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills) this relationship makes sense! The higher your EQ, the more coping skills you will have, and the more stress you can tolerate in a healthy sense, like the emotional version of overload. 

Both of us have experienced burnout and looking back we see how our EQ was a factor in both the issue and the solution. We hope that by sharing our experience we can help you feel like you are not alone and offer insights into what we can do to reduce burnout. We’ve worked to develop EQ and share practical strategies for how to cultivate it. 

Highlights from our conversation in Episode 14

• (0:39) - Intro 
• (2:03) - EQ and patient outcomes 
• (3:59) - EQ and burnout 
• (7:09) - Sammy’s burnout & EQ reflection
• (10:19) - Monika’s burnout & EQ reflection
• (13:14) - Identifying your energizers and depleters 
• (22:50) - Charting your daily energy levels
• (26:53) - Structuring your day to optimize your energy 
• (30:06) - Prioritizing your personal needs 

Thank you for listening to The Conscious Clinician. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and write a review for the podcast to grow our community. Keep the conversation going by following The Conscious Clinician on Instagram and Facebook. 

Resources from Episode 14

• (2:03) The Relationship of Bedside Nurses’ Emotional Intelligence with Quality of Care 2014 
• (2:03) The Importance of Emotional Intelligence in Delivering Patient Centered Care 
• (7:02) A Conceptual Model of Medical Student Well-Being; Promoting Resilience and Reducing Burnout 2008 
• (22:54, 26:53) Dr. Shahid Medical Education 

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