Joy in Medicine

Jen Tinguely, MD, MPH
President, South Dakota State Medical Association

April 1, 2025

Anyone else feeling spring fever? With the tulips starting to make their appearance and baseball’s opening day upon us, I am starting to feel the excitement of spring and soon, summer. I have always felt that those of us who live in the Midwest are fortunate to experience the joy of new seasons every few months. Sometimes those seasons are a bit too dramatic for my liking, but there is always something exciting about heading into the golden months of the calendar year.

I want to take this editorial space to talk about joy in medicine. Written within the Hippocratic Oath is the following quote, “May I always act so as to preserve the finest traditions of my calling and may I long experience the joy of healing those who seek my help.” I hope that every one of you reading this still finds joy in taking care of patients. I’ve written many times how much I enjoy taking care of our medically underserved patient population at Falls Community Health. While some days are harder than others, on the whole, I still find significant joy in helping my patients feel better and lead healthier lives. I think experiencing this joy on a daily basis has been the reason why I haven’t once considered leaving the profession. In the past, there have been really late nights as I finish up notes and inbox items and when these nights start to pile up, my husband would suggest that I find a different job. But I always felt that I’d never find a job that I enjoy more than the one I have now.

A couple of months ago, I wrote about my young male patient with type I diabetes who was terminated from pediatric endocrinology’s care because of “noncompliance” and too many missed appointments. I experienced a burst of joy last week when I saw him for a diabetic visit and his A1c dropped from 11.4 to 8.2. Yes, it’s not perfect and there is still work to do, but we found a way to motivate him to take better care of himself. This young man loves basketball, and so the school nurse and I talked through a plan to require him to have tighter control of his blood sugars to attend practice and participate in the games. It has worked wonders and he is doing so much better! And for me, there was joy in seeing his shy smile as I flipped through his Dexcom and saw his improved readings.

The American Medical Association (AMA) has talked about joy in medicine for many years as they have heard from too many members who are burnt out by work. Data shows us that among many different professions, physicians have higher rates of depression and suicide. A 2018 study showed that the suicide rate among physicians was twice that of the general population.  This is why programs like the SDSMA’s Physician Well-Being Program are so important. It is also why the AMA created the Joy in Medicine Health System Recognition Program. This program is working to reduce physician burnout at a systems-level. Systems who are recognized have shown competency in six pillars — assessment (they must be able to measure their physician’s well-being and burnout level), commitment to workforce well-being, operational efficiency, teamwork, leadership and support. Sanford Health received gold recognition in 2023 from the AMA which speaks volumes for their commitment and dedication to their care team. And for those of us who don’t work for Sanford, we can still push our health system or small clinic to work towards the pillars set forth by the AMA.

For me, the antidote to burnout has been the pleasure I find in taking care of my patients, in getting to know them on a personal level and not just their lab values or medication lists. I love finding out where their summer travels might be taking them, and I love seeing the newest pictures of their pets. I also find joy in working with the staff I am fortunate enough to interact with daily. They make work fun. We share plenty of laughs, have great dress-up/theme days, eat more doughnuts than we should and partake in too many potlucks (but who doesn’t love a good potluck?) As David Brooks, an esteemed columnist, wrote, “Happiness involves a victory for self. Joy involves the transcendence of self. Happiness comes from accomplishments. True joy is the present that life gives you as you give away your gifts.” I hope that each of you finds joy as you share your gifts with your patients.