#12 Backstory on my Book
After graduating from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and training in emergency medicine at Albert Einstein in Philadelphia, I discovered this one soul crushing aspect of practicing medicine in the community. Some of the patients were so self-destructive and antagonistic that everyone in the department detested them. Treating these difficult patients became one of the most trying aspects of practicing medicine. I researched the problem and wrote a lecture that I presented at Grand Rounds when I was associate clinical faculty at George Washington University Medical School about thirty years ago. My director, Mark Smith MD, liked the presentation so much, he asked me to give it again the following year. I put it aside as I became pregnant with twins and three babies in two years.
I recently dusted off that lecture (the only version I had was printed on pin-fed paper!) and updated it with more modern ideas and tools about habit change and intentional thought management. I speak on this topic at med schools, state medical associations, and resident conferences. I want to share this valuable message with younger practitioners who so desperately need to hear it before they get burned out and turn away from practicing medicine and nursing.
At the ACOEP Scientific Assembly in Austin in 2019, I ran into my classmate and friend Elaine Lombardi Wilk. We caught up on what the kids are doing and what we both were doing. I had been making contributions to various online publications and reviewing books. Elaine cheerfully proclaimed, “I think you have found your thing. You should write a book.” Hmmmm.
I decided to write the book that I would have wanted to read while I was in the thick of patient care. This is what Anthony Orsini DO did with Its all in the Delivery. He saw a deficiency in how physicians were communicating bad news to patients and he wrote the book he would have wanted to read. Karen J Nichols DO wrote: Physician Leadership: The 11 Skills Every Doctor Needs to be an Effective Leader, when she could not find the advice she wanted to read. This is what Katrina Ubell MD is doing now with her upcoming weight loss book. Physician authors are writing the books that they wanted to read. They found some of the answers and they want to share them. How many of you have a book inside you with a message that other people need to read or hear? I know that I did.
During the Covid-19 lock down, I found myself with a lot more time and opportunity to do virtual presentations and opinion pieces. One of the opportunities I had was to audit (online) a Medical Ethics course at the University of Richmond which was being taught by my friend, Kelly Stuart MD. She asked me to teach one of the classes on ethical issues encountered during medical training. I learned a lot that we weren’t taught during my residency. I expanded my knowledge on the ethical principles and apology laws that find their way back into my book that were not in the original lecture.
I decided to expand the lecture on “Dealing with Difficult Patients” into a book manuscript. I already had the basic ideas and many of the references (photocopied articles from the library!). I set my weekly goal to complete a chapter every week until I covered the topic to the best of my ability and said what I wanted to say. At seventeen weeks and chapters, I had my first draft. I sent the draft to two friends who were too busy to read it.
At about this time, I wrote a response to a Washington Post piece on influenza rates in children and lessons we could be learning from the Covid-19 pandemic. Influenza: a deadly risk in schools before COVID (kevinmd.com)
The piece was published in Kevinmd.com and I had the opportunity to speak to Kevin Pho MD on his podcast in March of 2021. During my prep work, I noticed that Kevin had published a book with co-author Susan Gay entitled: Establishing, Managing, and Protecting Your Online Reputation: A Social Media Guide for Physicians and Medical Practices.Influenza: a deadly risk in schools before COVID (kevinmd.com)
I asked Kevin how he went about getting his book published. He most graciously said that he would send an email introducing me to his publisher. The person was Nancy Collins of the publishing arm of the American Association of Physician Leadership, formerly Greenbranch Publishing. What the heck, I figured I might as well ask the very experienced expert on book publishing. I was hoping for an honest opinion about what I should do with my book draft. I was prepared to self-publish or throw it into the trash bin. Would anyone want to listen to my take on this very common problem? Nancy said the answer was: YES. She liked it! She wanted to “take it to the next step?!”
Over the next few weeks, I discovered that comment meant writing the book pitch. Most people pitch the idea of a book to the publisher before writing their book. Nancy had to present the idea to the publishing team at the AAPL and convince them that my book was a worthy project. She was successful and in Mayof 20I21, I was offered a contract to publish: Changing our Thoughts about Difficult Patients: a Guide for Physicians and Healthcare Professionals.
The main suggestion to me was to expand the reach of the book from the emergency department setting to the broader experiences of physicians, nurses, NP’s, PA’s and paramedics across all medical office and clinical settings. After all, our colleagues face the same issues with demanding, non-compliant, and angry patients. Nancy and the team correctly surmised that ALL medical professionals could benefit from the message of my book. I was happy to go back to the computer and include everyone in my second draft.
My Writing Companion Dolly
The process of writing, editing, obtaining artwork and devising a cover stretched over the months like the gestation of a baby. In February of 2021, our family brought home the high energy and totally untrained miniature poodle, Dolly. My work area got moved from a tidy little office to the kitchen table. My book baby is due near the end of the December/early January. As you can see, I have started a website and I have started the uncomfortable process of reaching out to folks on social media. Part two of this behind-the-scenes look will be coming up soon.
Teaser: The Cover Reveal is coming!
